Pokemon Rewrite - Indigo League
by sprinter1988
Summary: Basically this is my attempt to rewrite the original series of the Pokemon Anime. In it you'll see friends and rivals old and new, brand new pokemon, and new evolutions. Some storylines are similar to the original, some are completely new. Team Rocket won't turn up every two minutes, and Ash will actually have to battle a gym leader if he wants his badge. Give it a shot.
1. Pokemon - I Choose You!

**Okay, here we go with a new Pokémon story. This is my attempt to rewrite the Amine series, beginning with the Original Series (The Kanto Arc). It will feature familiar characters (Ash, Misty, Brock, Gary etc.) familiar Pokémon (Pikachu, Charizard, Squirtle, Psyduck, Onix etc.) familiar places and familiar storylines. However there will be additions; new rivals, new captures, new evolutions, new friends and new adventures.**

**Each chapter will be considered an episode and some (like this first one) will vary only slightly in their plot. Others will be completely new. Also, Ash will have to actually battle the Gym Leader if he wants to get the badge, and there will be a little less Jessie and James constantly interrupting everything.**

**I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 1: Pokémon – I Choose You

Two creatures stood opposite each other, facing off in battle. One was a creature named Nidorino, the other was called Gengar. Standing on all four feet, Nidorino shifted his balance a few times, anticipation his opponent's move. Gengar raised a fist and took a swipe at Nidorino, who dodged the blow before springing forwards, attempting to drive the horn that grew between the long ears on his head into Gengar's chest.

With an agile twist Gengar ducked beneath the attack from Nidorino and turned to keep the opponent in his field of vision.

All around them a crowd of people roared with excited cheers as the two battling Pokémon continued to fight.

Each of the two Pokémon had a trainer, who shouted encouragement and commands to them over the noise of the audience within the stadium.

Gengar's trainer, an aging woman with greying blond hair and wearing a purple dress called out a command to her Pokémon.

"Gengar, use Hypnosis."

In response Gengar, a dark purple ghost type raised his hands up before him and began to wave them about. A pink aura formed around each hand, and this aura became a ring and travelled from Gengar, across the battlefield and hit Nidorino. The eyes of the poison type Pokémon grew heavy and Nidorino slumped over, sound asleep.

"And there it is, folks" shouted the match commentator's voice over the noise of the crowd "Gengar's dreaded Hypnosis attack has put Nidorino to sleep, compromising its ability to battle. How will Bruno respond to this?"

Bruno, Nidorino's trainer was a tall, rugged and muscular man with his hair pulled back in a ponytail. An experienced trainer, he knew what attack Agatha would have her Gengar perform now that Nidorino was asleep. Deciding to not give her the satisfaction, he raised his hand. In it he held a red and white ball. A pokéball. Pokémon belonging to trainers were kept in these. With a shout from Bruno of "Nidorino, return." Nidorino changed from a physical form to a strange red energy that was sucked into the pokéball.

"And Bruno withdraws Nidorino from battle; a wise move against Agatha, who usually follows up Hypnosis with the deadly Dream Eater attack. But what Pokémon will Bruno use now?"

Bruno pocketed Nidorino's pokéball and drew another. He threw it out onto the battlefield and it snapped open. There was a flash of bright white light and Bruno's next Pokémon appeared on the battlefield. At first the new Pokémon looked like nothing more than a series of large grey rocks all in a line. Then one end of the line reared up, and the first rock opened up to reveal a gaping mouth below two eyes and a large horn.

"Oh, it's Onix!" shouted the commentator "How will Agatha and Gengar respond to the presence of the Rock Snake Pokémon?"

* * *

Many miles away from the stadium, its roaring crowd and the battling Pokémon, the fight was also being watched on television by a boy of ten.

Excitement coursed through him. Not only because of the battle taking place on the television in his room, but because he knew that very soon, that would be him. Tomorrow morning, he would get his very first Pokémon, as many children did at the age of ten, and then go out into the wide world in order to become a Pokémon trainer.

In his excitement, he snatched up his pokéball-designed alarm clock and held it up "Tomorrow I get my first Pokémon, then look out world, because I'm gonna be a Pokémon master!"

"Ash!"

Unfortunately for him his shouted declaration had drawn the attention of his mother.

Ash winced and turned around towards the door of his bedroom.

His mother, a fairly young woman with her brown hair pulled into a ponytail that was draped over her shoulder, was standing in the doorway looking very cross.

"You should be in bed." she scolded "You have to be up early in the morning."

"But I'm too excited to sleep." Ash protested.

His mother marched over to his desk on which the remote control for the television sat "Fine. But at least watch something educational."

With the press of a button, the battle disappeared from the screen, to be replaced by an older man in his sixties, dressed in a white lab coat giving some kind of lecture.

"What the end of this then go to bed."

With that, his mother left the room.

Ash turned his attention back to the television. The man giving the lecture was renowned Pokémon researcher Professor Oak, the man who would be giving Ash his first Pokémon the next morning.

"These three," Professor Oak said, pointing to three large pictures on the wall behind him "are the three Pokémon that beginning trainers may choose between to start their journey with. They are the fire type, Charmander" he pointed to an orange lizard-like Pokémon that was standing on two feet and had a flame on the tip of its tail "the water type Squirtle" he gestured to a blue turtle with an orange and yellow shell "and the grass type Bulbasaur." he gestured to a blue frog-like Pokémon with a large green bulb on its back.

"Either one of these Pokémon would make an ideal starting companion for any beginning trainer…" the lecture continued.

* * *

Later that night Ash was sound asleep, dreaming about getting his first Pokémon, and thinking about which of the three would be best for him to start with.

He thought about Charmander, and what it would be like to send the fire type Pokémon out into battle.

Then he thought about Squirtle.

And then thought about Bulbasaur.

He imagined sending one out into battle against a wild Pokémon. It was one familiar to him; a bird Pokémon called Pidgey, which were very common. In turn he imagined each of the starter Pokémon battling Pidgey, then he decided to capture it.

In his sleep he was reaching for an empty pokéball. In reality, he was reaching for his pokéball-shaped alarm clock.

He threw the pokéball at Pidgey, and the alarm clock sailed across the room to smash apart against the wall.

The noise barely registered in Ash's mind. He merely mumbled "Either would be perfect…" in his sleep and rolled over onto his side…

* * *

Bright, warm sunlight came in through the window of the bedroom. Ash rolled over onto his back and the light woke him up. Sleepily he blinked his eyes a couple of times to bring the world into focus before sitting up.

"What time is it?" he wondered aloud.

Then he saw the smashed alarm clock.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed, throwing the bed covers back and jumping out of bed. Still in his pyjamas, he raced downstairs and saw by the clock on the wall in the kitchen that he was late, not only in getting up, but also for going to Professor Oak's laboratory in order to get his first Pokémon.

Without even thinking of putting on any shoes, Ash ran out of the house, past his mother who was weeding the garden and raced off down the street, ignoring the startled looks of the few other residents of Pallet Town he happened to pass.

There was only one thought on his mind:

'_Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle… any one would be perfect, just please save one of them for me…'_

* * *

Outside of Professor Oak's lab, quite a crowd had gathered. People from all over Pallet Town had gathered to wish the beginning trainers luck for their journey.

One of those trainers had already headed off, but the other two were just now coming out of the lab.

One, a boy who had spikey brown hair and who wore a purple, long-sleeved top turned to the other, a boy in a green outfit and a blue and yellow cap on his head, and asked "So Ritchie, fancy a battle before we head out?"

Ritchie grinned "You got it, Gary."

"A battle, eh?" asked Professor Oak from behind them "Sounds like a good idea. I'll referee."

Ash arrived at the lab and pushed his way through the crowd. He came to a stop once he was at the front and saw what they were all watching.

Gary and Ritchie were standing opposite each other, each one clutching a pokéball. Both threw them.

"Go, Squirtle!"

"Go, Charmander!"

Ash frowned. So his cousin Ritchie Ketchum had chosen the fire type Charmander, and his long-time rival Gary Oak, Professor Oak's grandson, had chosen Squirtle.

That left Bulbasaur for Ash.

The two young trainers began their first battle.

There were a long series of blows exchanged; Tackle attacks from Gary's Squirtle and Scratch attacks from Ritchie's Charmander. Both Pokémon were so young that neither actually knew any other attacks it seemed; no fire from Charmander, and no water from Squirtle.

In the end, with one final, well placed Scratch attack, Charmander defeated Squirtle, giving Ritchie the first win.

With a huff, Gary recalled Squirtle to its Pokémon and commented "Doesn't matter. Just as soon as Squirtle learns some water type attacks, your Charmander won't stand a chance."

As the crowd moved to congratulate Ritchie and offer commiserations to Gary, Ash suddenly found himself before Professor Oak.

"So, you must be Ash." said the Professor with a smile.

"Professor Oak," Ash exclaimed "Sorry I'm late. Please tell me you have a Pokémon for me."

* * *

Inside the lab Ash found himself standing before a round, table-like machine. With a whirr, three small circular holes opened up in the top and three pokéballs rose up, one through each hole. One had an image of a blue water drop on it, another has a green leaf and the last had a red flame.

"Okay," said Ash "I thought long and hard about it last night, but as Ritchie already chose Charmander, and Gary chose Squirtle, I guess that leaved Bulbasaur for me."

With that he picked up the pokéball with the leaf on it and pressed the round, white button on the front. The pokéball snapped open, but nothing came out of it.

"The early bird gets the worm." commented Professor Oak "Or in this case the Pokémon."

"But how?" asked Ash.

"There was another trainer starting today." replied Professor Oak "And she arrived early in order to make sure she got the Pokémon she wanted."

Ash hung his head "Oh… right."

He looked up "But then, what am I meant to do about getting a first Pokémon?"

Professor Oak rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Well… I do have another Pokémon, but…"

"Oh, please Professor Oak, I'll take it." said Ash eagerly.

"Well, I don't know. This Pokémon is a little too wild to give to someone without any experience…"

"But Professor, I have to have a Pokémon." Ash protested.

"Oh… alright" Professor Oak relented "But be careful with it. It's far from tame."

With that he pushed a red button on the side of the machine and a fourth hole opened up, this on situated in the middle. A pokéball rose up from within; this one marked with a yellow lightning bolt.

Ash took the pokéball and opened it up. In a flash of white light, the Pokémon contained within appeared. It was a yellow, mouse-like Pokémon with black-tipped pointed ears, a flat tail shaped like a lightning bolt and bright red pouches on its cheeks.

"Pika?" it said questioningly, tilting its head to the side.

"It's called a Pikachu." explained Oak.

"It's so cute." said Ash excitedly "It's the best of the lot."

With that he grabbed up Pikachu and hugged it tightly.

Pikachu did not take kindly to this and unleashed a powerful bolt of electrical energy, zapping Ash.

"Pikachu is an electric type Pokémon and is capable of unleashing electrical discharges of many thousands of volts." explained Professor Oak "Shocking, isn't it."

"Y-y-yep." replied Ash, electricity still crackling through his hair.

Professor Oak reached into his pocket and took out a miniature computer-like device, and five pokéballs.

"This is the Pokédex. Use it to research the Pokémon you encounter. And here are five spare pokéballs. Use them to capture more Pokémon."

"Th-th-thanks." replied Ash, reaching for the items.

Just then Pikachu unleashed another electrical attack, this time electrocuting Professor Oak as well as Ash.

* * *

Outside of Professor Oak's lab, Ash was met by the same crowd that had watched the battle between Ritchie and Gary. The only difference was that now Ash's mother had joined them.

"Ash, you left so quickly, you forgot to take your things with you." she said, handing Ash a backpack, a pile of freshly laundered clothes, a pair of black and white running shoes and a red and white baseball cap.

"Uh, thanks mom." said Ash.

"I've packed you plenty of clean underwear." she told him, embarrassing him in front of everyone "Be sure to wear a clean pair every day. Huh?"

She had just caught sight of Pikachu.

"Ash is that your Pokémon?" she asked.

Ash turned and picked up Pikachu "Yeah, this is my new buddy Pikachu."

"Isn't that kind of an unusual Pokémon to start out with?" she asked with concern in her voice.

Pikachu did not take kindly to having the word "unusual" associated with itself, and so zapped everyone present.

As they all fell to the ground, twitching, Ash heard the sound of someone laughing. He turned and saw Gary standing not too far away.

"Pathetic." said Gary "You can't even control your first Pokémon, Ashy-boy. What hope do you have of ever becoming a Pokémon master?"

"I got just as much chance as you." retorted Ash "I saw you lose to Ritchie, even with a type advantage on your side."

Gary waved him off "Not important. Like I said, once Squirtle learns a water type attack, Ritchie's Charmander won't be able to touch it. You, on the other hand, will be such a poor trainer that even your Pokémon knows it. Why else would it zap you?"

"Then prove it with a battle." Ash shouted, springing to his feet.

Gary laughed again "As if I'd waste my time battling a trainer whose Pokémon won't even listen to him. Later."

And with that he walked off, leaving a fuming Ash behind.

* * *

Things between Ash and Pikachu only got worse. Pikachu flat out refused to return to his pokéball, or do anything else that Ash asked of it. In the end Ash had to resort to extreme measures; a pair of pink rubber gloves on his hand, and a rope tied around Pikachu's middle so that he could drag the Pokémon behind him.

A halfway up a tree-covered hill, a short way out of Pallet Town, Ash turned to Pikachu and tried to persuade it to be his friend. Pikachu had no interest in such a thing, and Ash taking off the rope and gloves only resulted in him being on the receiving end of another electric shock. By the time he had recovered, Pikachu had climbed a tree and now sat on a branch.

"Fine," said Ash "I'll just have to become a Pokémon master without you! I'll catch another Pokémon and leave you behind!"

He turned away from Pikachu and scanned the surrounding area for any sign of another Pokémon.

There was a fluttering of wings, and the flying type Pokémon Pidgey flew down onto the pathway ahead and began scratching around for food.

Ash drew his Pokédex and scanned the brown-coloured Pidgey for data:

"**Pidgey is a Flying Pokémon. Among all the ****Flying**** Pokémon, it is the gentlest and easiest to capture. A perfect target for the beginning ****Pokémon Trainer**** to test his Pokémon's skills."**

"It's perfect." Ash said to himself, stowing the Pokédex away. He drew an empty pokéball and threw it.

Pidgey saw it coming and batted the pokéball away with its wing.

Ash's Pokédex beeped and said:

"**In order to capture a Pokémon, a trainer must weaken it first."**

Up in the tree, Pikachu began to laugh at Ash.

Annoyed Ash turned and shouted "This would be a lot easier if you helped!"

Pikachu just continued to laugh.

With a frown on his face, Ash turned away from Pikachu. He took off his bag, his hat and his jacket then, holding his jacket, he crouched low and crept towards Pidgey.

When he was near enough, he sprang through the air and landed, his jacket covering Pidgey completely.

"Ha-ha! Gotcha!" Ash cheered, only for the Pokédex to beep again and say:

"**Trainers should watch out for Pidgey's Gust attack. It also knows Sand Attack."**

"That doesn't sound." Ash noted, moments before a powerful wind built up beneath him and Pidgey's Gust attack blew both him and him jacket away.

He landed on his back with a thud and sat up with a groan. He opened his eyes just in time to see Pidgey flying towards him. Pidgey tilted to the side, the end of one wing dragging along the ground. Pidgey swept away to the left, and a spray of sand from the wing flew into Ash's face.

Wiping his eyes and spitting sand from his mouth, Ash stood up and looked around. Pidgey was gone.

A rustle behind him drew Ash's attention and he turned to see a purple rat-like Pokémon rummaging through his bag.

"Hey!" Ash shouted, running over "Get outta there!"

The Pokémon turned and scampered off as Ash's Pokédex gave another beep and spoke again:

"**Rattata, a Pokémon that usually lives in forests, hedgerows and city streets. It likes ****cheese, nuts, fruits****, and ****berries****. It also comes out into open fields to steal food from **_**stupid**_** travellers."**

"Hey!" Ash yelled, indignantly as Pikachu began to laugh even harder.

Ash scowled at Pikachu and walked a short way from the tree.

In the distance he spotted the outline of a bird.

"There you are." Ash said.

He reached down and picked up a rock "Maybe this'll do it."

And with that he threw the rock, which scored a direct hit, smacking the Pokémon on the back of the head.

"Yes!" Ash cheered, only for the Pokémon to turn around and face him, a dangerous glint in its eye.

"That's not Pidgey…" Ash muttered.

He was right; although a bird Pokémon as well, this one clearly was not a Pidgey. It looked wilder, and had a larger beak that looked like it could do some damage.

Again the Pokédex beeped and spoke:

"**Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokémon. Unlike ****Pidgey****, Spearow has a terrible attitude. It is very wild and will sometimes attack other Pokémon and humans."**

With a cry the Spearow took to the air and flew towards Ash. He turned and ducked, but still felt the painful jab of Spearow's beak on the top of his head.

Pikachu continued to laugh, but now Spearow noticed it too.

Ash got up to see Spearow pecking at Pikachu, who was crying out.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Ash shouted, but Spearow paid no attention.

Pikachu lost his footing and slipped from the branch, only managing to grab hold of it just in time to prevent him falling to the ground.

Spearow flew in a loop and the shot towards Pikachu, who let out a sudden, powerful electrical strike that zapped Spearow hard.

The flying type Pokémon tumbled out of the sky and landed in long grass.

"That was great Pikachu!" Ash shouted "That'll teach him to pick on us."

Suddenly Spearow got up and let out a terrible cry.

It was answered by many more.

Then a flock, consisting of around forty Spearow came swarming out of a tree, heading straight for Ash and Pikachu."

"Uh-oh." Ash muttered before turning quickly.

He gathered up his jacket, hat and bag and made a run for it.

Pikachu sprang down from the tree and joined Ash.

The Spearow began to swoop down at them, pecking at the two as they fled.

The first Spearow remained in the grass, panting heavily as it watched the rest of its flock chase Ash and Pikachu away.

Then Spearow's attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. It turned and saw another Pokémon trainer standing there. Before Spearow could think of putting up any kind of fight, it was hit with a pokéball and it vanished inside, captured.

* * *

Covered in scratch marks, Ash shouted "Pikachu, use your Thundershock to drive them off!"

Pikachu didn't need asking twice.

With a cry of _"Pi-kachuuuu!" _The little electric mouse Pokémon unleashed a powerful blast of electricity that shocked not only Ash but the front line of Spearow.

But there were more Spearow to take their place. One swooped down and grabbed Pikachu's lightning tail in its beak and lifted him up into the air as others pecked at the electric type.

Pikachu unleashed another Thundershock attack that saw off those Spearow and made them retreat, but more were coming, and the one holding Pikachu dropped him from a height. Pikachu crashed down hard onto the pathway and immediately a Spearow was upon him, jabbing him violently with its beak.

Ash knocked the Spearow away with his arm, then picked the now weak Pikachu up and continued running.

The Spearow drove him from the road and into the water of a river. Ash waded his way forwards until the current became too much and he and Pikachu were swept away.

They both surfaced just in time to see that they were approaching a waterfall. Unable to fight the current, Ash and Pikachu braced themselves for the worst.

They went over the waterfall.

The water below stung Ash's face when he hit it, but he ignored the pain in order to grab Pikachu. As the current pulled the two of them along, they saw a lot of fish Pokémon, and one that looked terrifyingly like a gigantic blue sea serpent.

A short was downstream from the waterfall, a girl with her red hair pulled back in a short ponytail sat on a rock, fishing. Next to her sat an orange bicycle.

Feeling a sudden pull on her fishing line, she exclaimed "Hey, I got a bite!" and with a might heave on the rod she pulled her catch out of the water.

It wasn't a water Pokémon, but Ash; the hook of the line had snagged his jacket.

She hurried forwards "Are you alright?" she asked, worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ash replied, only to get a slap on his cheek.

"Not you." snapped the girl "Your Pokémon."

"Oh," said Ash, looking down at Pikachu, still cradled in his arms "Pikachu… please be okay."

"You've got to get it help." said the girl. She turned and pointed down the pathway "If you go that way you'll get to Viridian City. There's a Pokémon Centre there. They'll help Pikachu."

"Right." Ash muttered, getting unsteadily to his feet.

Suddenly there was a loud chorus of cries behind them, and Ash and Misty both turned towards the waterfall. There were the flock of Spearow, just as angry as before.

"Uh-oh. They're coming again." said Ash and he ran for the girl's bicycle. He put Pikachu into the basket on the front.

"Hey, what are you doing?" demanded the girl.

"I need to outrun those Spearow." said Ash "And get Pikachu to the Pokémon centre."

He began pedalling.

"But that's _my_ bike." the girl protested as he headed off down the path.

"I'll give it back someday!" Ash shouted back to her over his shoulder.

She watched him go with a scowl on her face. Then the flock of Spearow flew over above her, in pursuit of Ash.

* * *

Black clouds gathered in the sky overhead as Ash pedalled as hard and as fast as he could.

"Hang on Pikachu." he muttered under his breath "Just hang on."

Rain began to fall heavily and the dirt road quickly became mud.

The leading Spearow caught up with them and one struck Ash on the back of his head.

He quickly lost balance and he, Pikachu and the bicycle crashed to the wet and muddy ground.

Battered and bruised, Ash raised his head and looked towards Pikachu. Several Spearow were once again attacking the electric type. Ash pushed himself to his feet and ran forwards, swiping with his arms to deter the Spearow.

One of them knocked him to the ground.

Ash rolled onto his back and looked up. The Spearow were circling above.

Ash reached onto his pocket and took out a pokéball. It had a little yellow lightning bolt on it.

He set it down in front of Pikachu.

"I know you don't like it in there, Pikachu, but you need to get inside the pokéball. You'll be safe in there."

And with that Ash got to his feet and turned around to face the swarming flying types.

"Spearow" he shouted, holding his arms out wide and staring up at them "If you want Pikachu you're gonna have to go through me first."

The flock cried out aggressively in response.

"Come and get me!" Ash shouted,

And with that the flock began to dive, each Pokémon swooping with great speed towards Ash.

Ash remained standing, staring them down defiantly.

And then suddenly Pikachu was leaping over his shoulder and through the air towards the Spearow.

In that same moment lightning struck.

"_PI-KA-CHUUUU!"_

There was a zap of lightning, a bright flash of light, and then everything faded.

* * *

The storm clouds had disappeared, and sunlight filtered down upon the land.

The bicycle lay forgotten, a charred and blackened ruin.

Nearby lay a trainer and his Pokémon.

Ash opened his eyes, and heard the calm in the air around them.

He looked to his Pokémon and saw that Pikachu, too, was awake.

Ash smiled and said "We did it, buddy. We showed those Spearow."

"Pika." Pikachu agreed in a weak voice and a soft nod.

Then, from far above, there came a cry. Ash turned to look up and saw a huge and magnificent bird Pokémon, far larger than any of the Spearow, glowing brightly as it flew towards a rainbow in the distance.

"I wonder was that is." Ash wondered aloud.

On the ground next to him, Ash's Pokédex beeped and said:

"**There is no data. There still are Pokémon yet to be identified."**

* * *

With Pikachu in his arms, Ash made his way up a hill. When he got to the top, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. There before him was the place he had been looking for: Viridian City.

Pikachu lifted his head and licked Ash's chin affectionately.

Ash smiled and then made his way down the slope towards the city…

* * *

**A/N: So what do you think? Yes, I made Ritchie the trainer who started with Charmander, and he will be a series-long rival of Ash, at least until the end of the Indigo league. Gary will appear far more often too, and will battle Ash repeatedly. The trainer of the Bulbasaur will feature as well, but as more of a friendly rival than the other two. Current plans are that we'll meet her in episode three, where the first major deviation in the plot will occur.**

**For those of you wondering, Misty slapping Ash was not an addition by me. It was in the original Japanese version of this episode, but was cut in the English dub in order to remove cartoon violence (although everyone getting electrocuted repeatedly was fine.) If you watch the episode, you can still see Ash holding the side of his face as though he had been hit.**

**I gave Ritchie and Gary their battle outside of Oak's lab to mirror the in-game one. Then I remembered that that one is just an unimaginative exchange of Tackles and Scratches until someone faints. Roll on the Flamethrowers, Hydro Pumps and Hyper Beams!**


	2. Pokemon Emergency

**- BREAKING NEWS! LANCE ADMITS TO DOPING HIS DRAGONS WITH FULL RESTORES TO WIN ALL SEVEN OF HIS LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS – Ha! Got that off Bulbapedia!**

**Got a nice response to the first episode of this rewrite. Here's the second. You'll probably see that a good deal of it is similar to the original second episode, but there are a few changes. If it is a totally new episode you want, you'll have to wait until episode three.**

/\/\/\/\/\

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 2: Pokémon Emergency.

On the suburban borders of a city, the houses were bathed in the glow of the evening sun, which was drying the puddles from the earlier storm.

Over a public address speaker system the voice of a police woman was making an announcement for all nearby citizens to hear.

"People of Viridian City are reminded to be aware of the presence of Pokémon thieves, who have been sighted in this area recently-" The voice broke off.

At her station on the edge of the city, the police woman saw a boy running along the road towards the station. Seeing as he had a Pokémon in his arms, she stopped him.

"Hold it you," she said, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt "Where are you off to?"

"My Pikachu's hurt," replied the boy "I need to get him to the Pokémon centre."

The police woman frowned and remarked "It's very unusual to carry a Pokémon around with you rather that put it inside a pokéball. How do I know you aren't trying to steal it?"

"I'd never do such a thing," replied the boy "I'm a Pokémon trainer, and this _is_ my Pokémon."

The police woman frowned "You got any I.D. to prove it?"

"Any what?" asked the boy.

The officer saw something out of the corner of her eye and looked down to see that sticking out of the boy's pocket was something red.

"Aha!" she exclaimed, snatching the item from him "A Pokédex. This'll solve our problem."

She flipped the Pokédex open and pressed a few buttons, and then the Pokédex began to speak;

"**I'm Dexter, a Pokédex programmed by ****Professor Oak**** for ****Pokémon Trainer****Ash Ketchum**** of the town of ****Pallet****. My function is to provide Ash with information and advice regarding Pokémon and their ****training****. If lost or stolen, I cannot be replaced."**

"Good enough for me." said the officer "Now then, you said your Pokémon is hurt?"

"Yes," replied Ash "Pikachu got attacked by a whole bunch of Spearow."

The police woman nodded and replied "I know the ones you mean. They've caused trouble for several trainers. Don't worry, I'll get you to the Pokémon Centre soon enough."

/\/\/\/\/\

With the roar of its engine, a police motorbike raced along the streets of Viridian City. In the side car, Ash maintained a firm hold on his seat with one hand, and an even firmer hold on Pikachu with the other.

As the sun finally dipped down below the horizon, a large, dome-shaped building loomed up in front of them.

"Hang on," shouted the police woman before slamming on the breaks and turning the bike into a skip.

Ash thought for a moment that they were going to crash into the Pokémon centre, but at the last moment the glass double doors whirred open and the bike shot between them before coming to a stop right in front of a large reception desk.

A pink-haired woman in a nurse's uniform was behind the desk, and she did not look happy.

"We have a perfectly good car park you know, Jenny."

"Sorry Nurse Joy," replied Officer Jenny "But we've got a Pokémon emergency."

On shaky legs, caused by Jenny's driving, Ash got out of the sidecar and made his way over to the desk.

"Can you heal my Pikachu?" Ash asked, placing the yellow Pokémon down on the desk.

"Oh my!" exclaimed Nurse Joy, after seeing the state that Pikachu was in "How on Earth could you let this Pokémon get hurt this bad?"

"We were attacked by a whole flock of Spearow." said Ash.

Nurse Joy nodded "I know the ones you mean. Alright, I get Pikachu fixed up. Chansey?"

Ash turned and saw a large round pink Pokémon with an egg in a pouch on her stomach. The Pokémon pushed a gurney along in front of it. Pikachu was set atop the white sheets and Nurse Joy and Chansey pushed it from the room.

"I'm sure your Pikachu will be fine." Officer Jenny said to Ash "Nurse Joy and her Chansey can work miracles."

"I hope you're right." said Ash, taking a seat.

He heard Jenny drive her bike out of the Pokémon centre.

Ash sat there for a long while, his only company the sound of a clock ticking on the wall nearby. After a time, he looked around and saw that over on the opposite wall there was a line of phone booths, each telephone attached to a video screen.

Intending to call home, Ash got up and approached the videophones.

After a couple of rings his mother answered.

"Oh, hi Honey." she greeted him excitedly "I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. Where are you calling from?"

"The Pokémon centre in Viridian City." replied Ash.

"Oh, that's wonderful. You know, it took your father four days to get that far when he was starting out as a trainer. Oh, you really are the apple of his eye."

Ash shifted uncomfortable "I don't know about that. Pikachu got beat up pretty bad by a bunch of wild Pokémon."

"That happens, sweetie. It's all part of the learning curve for you and your first Pokémon."

"I guess," said Ash "But Pikachu was really hurt bad."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," replied Mrs Ketchum. Suddenly there was the sound of an egg timer going off "Oh, the cake I'm baking is ready to come out of the oven. I'll talk to you again soon, Ash."

Ash set the receiver down and returned to his seat. A few minutes later a wooden Pidgey popped out of the clock on the wall and cuckooed. A moment later the videophone that Ash had been talking to his mother on began to ring.

Ash got up and answered it. It was Professor Oak.

"Ah, Ash. You're in the Viridian City Pokémon Centre, I see."

Ash blinked in surprise "Professor Oak? How did you know I was here?"

"Your mother rang and said you seemed a bit down, so I thought I'd check on you."

"I'm fine," replied Ash "But Pikachu's pretty hurt. There was a flock of Spearow…"

Professor Oak nodded "Ah yes, I know the ones you mean. Last I heard they had moved on, but I guess not. Well, at least you made it to Viridian City. And I'll bet that you caught a whole bunch of new Pokémon as well. You know, I bet my grandson Gary that you would have a new Pokémon by the time you reached Viridian City. I said I'd eat my hat if you didn't!"

"Er…" said Ash uncomfortably "It's not a big hat, is it Professor."

Professor Oak got the message and hung his head "Actually it's a ten gallon cowboy hat," he perked up "But never mind. You got the Viridian City in one piece. The first hurdle of your journey has been passed."

"I guess you're right." said Ash before spotting something on Professor Oak's desk "Hey, what's that?"

Professor Oak looked down "Oh this?" he held it up so that Ash could see "It's a stone tablet depicting several of the legendary Pokémon, creatures that some say simply do not exist."

Ash studied the tablet and said "Hey, I saw a Pokémon like that one."

He pointed to a bird-like Pokémon in the upper right corner. Professor Oak looked at it "It's unlikely that you did. Many researchers look for these Pokémon for their entire lives and never see them."

"I'm telling you I saw it," said Ash "After the storm this afternoon, it was flying towards a rainbow."

Professor Oak thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders "Well, who am I to say whether you did or you didn't? All that I will say is that it is unlikely."

The doorbell rang "Ah, my pizza's here. Gotta go!"

And with that the call was cut off.

"Hey, you!"

Ash spun around to find an enraged girl standing behind him, holding the charred remains of a bicycle.

"I knew I'd find you here,"

"Hey, what happened to your bike?" asked Ash stupidly.

"_YOU_ happened to it." she shouted back.

"Oh, yeah. I guess it must have gotten fired when Pikachu…"

As if suddenly remembering the Pokémon he had had in his arms the day before, the girl set the charred remains of her bike down as the expression on her face turned from anger the concern.

"How is it?" she asked.

Ash turned towards the doors through which Nurse Joy and Chansey had taken Pikachu earlier "Not so good."

Just then the doors opened and Nurse Joy and Chansey appeared, pushing Pikachu on the stretcher.

"How's Pikachu?" asked Ash.

"Pikachu's going to be fine," replied Nurse Joy "He's resting for now."

Just then speakers on the walls around the room began to relay a message. It was Officer Jenny again, reminding them all to vigilant about Pokémon thieves.

No sooner had the message finish did the glass in the skylight smash as two pokéballs dropped through them. Both pokéballs snapped open, unleashing a purple snake-like Pokémon, and a purple cloud-like Pokémon.

The cloud-like Pokémon emitted a large amount of greenish smog that filled the air. When it cleared, three more figures were revealed, one a woman with long red hair, one a man with blue hair and one a cream coloured cat-like Pokémon.

"Prepare for trouble!" said the woman.

"And make it double!" said the man.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"_Meowth_! That's right!" finished the cat Pokémon.

"Uh… What?" asked Ash, completely confused.

"We're Team Rocket and we're here to steal all your Pokémon." said the cat Pokémon.

"Then why not just say that?" asked the girl.

"Never mind," said Nurse Joy "Come on."

She led them into a back room as the two purple Pokémon began wrecking the reception area.

Safely locked in the back room, Ash looked around "Hey, there's a lot of pokéballs in here."

"Yes, it's our main storage area," said Nurse Joy.

Suddenly everything went dark.

"They've cut the power." remarked the girl.

"Don't worry." said Nurse Joy "We've got our own Pika-power."

Suddenly all the lights came on, revealing that in the middle of the room there was a whole group of Pikachu who were using their electricity to power the lights.

As Nurse Joy approached the computer in the corner, Ash opened up his Pokédex to look for information on the Pokémon that they had seen earlier.

"**Meowth, the Scratch Cat Pokémon. Meowth loves to roam at night to ****gather coins and other objects that sparkle****, but it spends most of the daylight hours sleeping."**

"**Ekans, the Snake Pokémon. It moves silently and stealthily and eats the eggs of birds, such as ****Pidgey**** and ****Spearow****, whole. The older it gets, the longer it grows."**

"**Koffing, the Poison Gas Pokémon. Koffing ****hovers in the air****, thanks to the poisonous gases it contains, which have a foul odour and can ****explode****."**

Ash looked up from his Pokédex "Did anyone notice that the Meowth was talking? That's not normal, right?"

"That's what you're worrying about?" asked the girl, incredulously.

Ash went to reply before frowning, as though something had just occurred to him "I don't actually know your name."

"It's Misty." replied the girl.

"Got it. I'm Ash."

"That's great you two," said Nurse Joy "Now get over here and help me."

"What's going on?" asked Ash.

"I'm transporting the pokéballs to other Pokémon centres where they'll be safe" explained Nurse Joy.

Suddenly there was a beep and a voice that sounded almost exactly the same as Nurse Joy's spoke "Pewter City Pokémon Centre is ready to receive pokéballs from Viridian City."

There was another beep and another voice, again sounding exactly like Nurse Joy's spoke "Cerulean City Pokémon Centre is ready to receive pokéballs from Viridian City."

"Right," said Nurse Joy "that device over there," she pointed to a large and complicated looking machine "is a Pokéball transporter. Grab as many pokéballs and place them inside. The transporter will automatically send them to another Pokémon centre."

Ash, Misty and Joy each grabbed an armful of pokéballs from off the shelves and began putting them, one by one, into the transporter.

Suddenly there was a loud crunch and Koffing, the cloud-like Pokémon crashed through the door, Ekans the snake rearing up behind it.

Misty dropped the pokéballs that she was carrying and grabbed one of her own.

"Staryu, help us out!" she threw the pokéball and it snapped open, revealing a brown starfish Pokémon with a smooth red jewel in its middle.

"Staryu, Water Gun attack."

Staryu aimed its top point and fired a powerful jet of water at Koffing. The attack hit and Koffing was blasted backwards to crash into Ekans.

Ekans recovered and lunged forwards to inflict a Bite attack.

"Staryu, use Tackle," commanded Misty.

Staryu sprang into the air and shot towards Ekans, landing a powerful blow to its throat.

Misty turned to Ash "How about a little help?"

"I've only got Pikachu." replied Ash as he put another pokéball into the transporter.

"Fine then," said Misty, turning back to the opponent Pokémon "Staryu, let's have another Water Gun."

Both Ekans and Koffing were blasted back by another powerful jet of water, but suddenly Meowth sprang through the door, the claws on his forepaws fully extended. Its Fury Swipes attack landed several heavy blows on Staryu before it got in another Water Gun attack to send the Scratch Cat Pokémon flying.

"That's the last of them," said Nurse Joy.

Misty turned and said "Ash, you better get Pikachu out of here."

"Right," said Ash before grabbing Pikachu's stretcher and pushing it out of the room.

Ash pushed Pikachu along a corridor and out into the wrecked reception area. However Jessie and James were there. Ash skidded to a stop.

Jessie held out a hand "Alright kid, hand over your Pokémon."

"Not gonna happen." replied Ash as Ekans came back into the room, Koffing and Meowth following.

"You don't have a choice kid." said Jessie "Ekans, use Wrap."

Ekans reared up and lunged towards Ash. He ducked, but didn't need to. Ekans took a blast of water the face and tumbled backwards. Misty and Staryu ran up to Ash's side.

"Koffing, use Tackle," ordered James.

Koffing shot forwards, but its attack was blocked by a blast of electricity.

As Koffing reeled backwards, Pikachu got up.

"Pika pika." he said to Ash, confidently.

"Are you sure you can fight?" asked Ash.

Pikachu nodded.

"Ash," said Misty "water and electricity make a dangerous mix. If we combine Pikachu's Thundershock with Staryu's Water Gun we can probably get rid of these bozos."

"Right," said Ash "Are you ready, Pikachu?"

"Pika!"

"Oh no you don't!" shouted Meowth, jumping forwards, claws extended.

He got a face full of water for his efforts and was blasted back into Ekans and Koffing. All three Pokémon were then thrown at Jessie and James, resulting in the entire group lying injured on the floor.

"Alright, let's finish this," said Ash, flipping his baseball cap backwards "Pikachu, use Thundershock."

"Staryu," commanded Misty "give 'em one last Water Gun."

A jet of water left Staryu as a blast of electricity left Pikachu.

The five would-be Pokémon thieves yelled in pain.

Koffing had the worst reaction though. Due to the pain it unleashed some of the poisonous gases inside its body. Unfortunately for the Rockets, this only made things worse for them; the gases ignited and there was an explosion.

Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Staryu dove beneath the reception desk as a large hole appeared in the front wall and part of the roof.

Not far away Officer Jenny was already on her bike, racing towards the Pokémon Centre. Upon hearing a loud explosion, she looked up to see Jessie, James, Meowth, Ekans and Koffing hurtling high up into the air.

Nurse Joy and Chansey came out of the back room and froze in shock at the sight that met them. Half of the reception area was missing.

As one, Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Staryu crawled out from under the front desk.

"Do you think we might have overdone it a bit?" asked Ash.

"A bit?" asked Misty, incredulously "I think we did more damage than Ekans, Koffing and Meowth did combined."

With a screech of tyres, Officer Jenny's motorbike came to a halt.

"What the-" she asked, looking around in surprise "What happened here?"

"Water Gun and Thundershock have terrifying results when combined." was all that Ash offered by way of an explanation.

"Are we going to be arrested?" asked Misty.

"Of course not," relied Jenny "This sort of thing happens all the time."

"It does?" asked Ash.

"Oh yes." said Nurse Joy "Think about it. We live in a world where ten year old kids are left to be responsible for creatures that can breathe fire, manipulate water, emit electrical charges, create poisons and manipulate telekinetic energy."

Ash shrugged and said thoughtfully "Well, when you put it like that…"

"Are you two going to want to stay the night?" asked Nurse Joy "It's pretty late."

"Sure," replied Ash "how much is a room for the night?"

"Free." replied Joy.

/\/\/\/\/\

Ash and Misty both remained at the Pokémon centre that night before heading out the next morning.

"Do you have any advice on where I should go?" Ash asked Nurse Joy as he was leaving.

"Well, most trainers had North toward Pewter City." replied Nurse Joy "But you have to go through Viridian Forest in order to get there."

"Sounds like a place to catch plenty of Pokémon," said Ash, eagerly.

"It is," replied Nurse Joy "There are plenty of bug and flying type Pokémon there."

"Then that's where I'll go," said Ash, leaving the Pokémon centre.

He hadn't gone far when he and Pikachu both became aware that they were being followed. They turned around and saw that Misty was walking along behind them.

"Why are you following us?" asked Ash.

"Actually," replied Misty, trying to sound dignified "You just happen to be going the same way that I am."

"Why?" Ash asked "Weren't you fishing on the road between here and Pallet Town? Why not go back?"

"I would go back if I had my bike," replied Misty "The bike _you_ ruined, remember?"

"Relax," said Ash "I told you I'll pay you back someday."

Misty scowled "In that case I'd better follow you until you do."

"That seems like a flimsy excuse." said Ash as Pikachu nodded sagely by his side.

Misty shrugged her shoulders "It's the excuse I was given."

With a roll of his eyes Ash turned away from her "Fine. But if you're going to follow us, keep up."

They got halfway down the next street when a small, blue-green frog-like Pokémon with a bulb on its back bounded around the corner ahead.

"Hey, is that a Bulbasaur?" asked Ash, who ran forward for a closer look.

He stopped however when a girl joined the Bulbasaur's side.

She was a tiny bit taller than Ash, though about the same age. She had long brown hair that flowed down her back, and she wore a black dress.

She grinned at him "Ash Ketchum. I was wondering when I'd see you."

/\/\/\/\/\

**A/N: Yes, that was the female trainer who started with Bulbasaur right at the end. And yes, she is based on the design of the unused female character from the Generation 1 games. I know that makes her look like what's-her-name from the Adventures series (see how I avoided that?) but I don't care. At one point I was going to have her be the girl whose legs Pikachu runs between in the original opening, but in a freeze frame I discovered that she looked ridiculous. And I didn't want to make her too much like the lass design as Giselle is based on that, and I might include her yet, though maybe in a different context. Anyway, the question is what should I name her? I am leaning heavily towards Robyn (to me she looks like a Robyn in the Adventures series, and is also a play on what that character does to red when they first meet).**

**Also, when researching for this one, I discovered several interesting things: Despite appearing in the series for so long before evolving, Ekans has never been scanned with a Pokédex in the anime. Arbok hasn't either. So I used the red and blue entries for it. Similarly, Koffing had to wait until the Black and White series to be scanned with a Pokédex, Weezing has never been scanned. Meowth had to wait until the Advanced series, and only then because it was in disguise as a less-than-convincing Kirlia. Persian had to wait until the Black and White series as well.**

**Also interesting was the fact that in this episode and the next, Misty never introduces herself to Ash in the English language dub of this episode. We only learn her name when Nurse Joy mentions it near the end of the episode. At that point Ash is nowhere nearby to hear it, and yet by the next episode he knows it.**

**Yes, characters will be breaking the fourth wall now and again. Get over it.**


	3. The Poison Pin Pokemon

**Here we go with Episode 3! Here the story really begins to change up, as this is an entirely original episode. For those of you waiting on Viridian Forest appearing, then you'll have to wait for Episode Five, as Ash is heading west for now…**

**By the way, I went with Robyn for the girl's name.**

* * *

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 3: The Poison Pin Pokémon

"So you managed to cause this?" asked the brown haired girl, as she surveyed the ruined remains of the Viridian City Pokémon Centre "I should have guessed it was you when I saw the explosion from the edge of Viridian Forest."

Ash Ketchum grinned sheepishly "Thanks a lot Robyn, make it sound like I cause explosions on a regular basis why don't ya?"

"Miss Williamson's chemistry class, last year." said Robyn.

Ash slumped forwards with a groan, burying his face in his arms on the table "Why must you bring that up?"

"I didn't have eyebrows for three months," answered Robyn.

"Really?" asked Misty "Three months?"

Robyn gave a nod "Yep. My mother had to draw some on for me every day."

"Would you just let it go?" asked Ash.

"Not until we're even," Robyn replied with a shake of her head.

Just then Nurse Joy entered the reception area, holding a pokéball.

"Robyn, your Bulbasaur is back to full health."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy," said Robyn, getting up from her seat and taking the pokéball from the woman "Bulbasaur was the best of the starter Pokémon, but those flying and bug Pokémon in the forest were just too much for her to handle yet."

"I'd suggest catching another Pokémon," said Nurse Joy "If you head west out of the city, there's a small area where you can catch a few different Pokémon to those found between here and Pallet Town."

"Wait," said Ash "does that mean Bulbasaur is your only Pokémon?"

"Yes," replied Robyn "anyone can get a Pidgey or a Rattata. I chose not to."

"Er… yeah," said Ash, sheepishly "I chose not to as well."

"I thought you tried to catch a Pokémon and failed…" said Misty.

"Shut up," retorted Ash.

"Well how about we head west together?" suggested Robyn "We'll both catch a new Pokémon there, agreed?"

"Agreed," replied Ash with a nod.

* * *

Just beyond the western border of Viridian City, the area became very mountainous. In particular there was a very large mountain to the northwest. However, in the shadow of these mountains there were a few small areas of long grass broken up by the occasional brush, a couple of stands of trees and a small, narrow stream.

"Is this the place?" asked Ash.

"I guess so," replied Robyn as she walked forward.

Pikachu's ears twitched, picking up a sound.

"Pi?" the small electric mouse Pokémon questioned, turning his head.

Ash noticed and asked "What is it, Pikachu?"

Pikachu bounded towards the stream and peered into the water. Ash, Misty and Robyn came over to see what Pikachu was looking at.

Jutting up out of the water as a spikey fin, a pale yellow colour, with three points that made it sort of look like a crown. The fin was attached to the curving red back of some kind of fish Pokémon.

"Who's that Pokémon?" asked Ash.

"It's a Magikarp," replied Misty even as Robyn was taking out her Pokédex to scan the Pokémon.

'**Magikarp, the Fish Pokémon. Magikarp can live in the dirtiest of water. It ****jumps**** very well, but is famous for being very unreliable. In the distant past, it was somewhat stronger than the horribly weak descendants that exist today.'**

"Doesn't sound like much of a battler," commented Ash as Robyn stowed her Pokédex away in her pocket again.

"They're not," replied Misty as she took a pokéball out of her pocket. She used her thumb press down on the button on the front of the pokéball. The pokéball then snapped open, and in a flash of white light, a Magikarp appeared.

It flopped uselessly on the ground, groaning out a feeble "Karp, karp, karp," with every weak jerk of its body.

Ash raised an eyebrow at the sight of the Fish Pokémon and asked of Misty "You actually caught one of those?"

"It might be weak now," replied Misty "but Magikarp will eventually evolve into a very strong Pokémon called Gyarados," she eyed her Magikarp concernedly "but it is so hard to get them to actually evolve."

"So you have a Magikarp and a Staryu," said Ash "Does that mean you specialise in water Pokémon or something?"

"I do," replied Misty "I find them to be very elegant creatures that move with a majesty and grace found amongst no other kind of Pokémon."

Ash looked at Magikarp sceptically "That's what you consider graceful?"

"Well it's a fish," retorted Misty "You don't expect a fish to move around well on land do you?"

And with that she reached down and pushed her Magikarp into the water. The water type Pokémon quickly righted itself and turned to face the wild Magikarp.

"Alright Magikarp," commanded Misty with confidence in her voice "use Tackle."

With several strong thrashes of its tail, Misty's Magikarp sped through the water and collided rather forcefully with the wild Magikarp. The wild Magikarp rolled over onto its back in a daze, though a moment later it came to its senses, shook itself off and swam away.

Misty smiled at the triumph of her Pokémon and looked towards her Magikarp expectantly.

It just continued to bob in the slow moving waters of the stream, seemingly completely unconcerned with anything.

After about a minute, Misty's shoulders slumped and she let out a disappointed sigh. She raised Magikarp's pokéball and called out "Gyarados, return," and in a beam of red light, the water type Pokémon returned to the pokéball.

"No luck yet," the red headed girl muttered to herself as she pocketed Magikarp's pokéball.

"I'm sure you'll get there," offered Robyn, consolingly.

"Yeah," agreed Ash "at least yours was stronger than the wild one."

"I guess so," said Misty glumly "Well anyway, didn't we come here so that you two could catch a Pokémon?"

"Hey, you're right," said Ash, excitedly. Immediately he and Pikachu ran off into the long grass.

"He never changes," commented Robyn, with a look of fondness on her face. She turned to Misty and asked "So, how did you get to know him?"

"A flock of Spearow drove Ash and Pikachu into a river," answered Misty "Ash's jacket got caught on the hook of my fishing line, and I pulled the two of them onto the bank. Ash then stole my bike to get Pikachu to the Pokémon centre and somewhere along the way my bike got destroyed. How did you become his friend?"

"I was actually born in Viridian City," replied Robyn "but when I was seven my parents decided to move to Pallet Town. Being the new kid at the school, I was targeted by the playground bully. Ash, his cousin Ritchie and their friend Gary stood up for me, and we've been friends ever since. Or we were…"

"You were?" asked Misty.

"About a year ago Gary suddenly became the popular kid. He became arrogant and began hanging around with other kids. He only ever bothered with Ritchie, choosing instead to ignore Ash and me, unless it was to taunt us."

"Some friend," said Misty.

Robyn nodded "Yeah. It upset Ash a lot. But at least we still had each other."

A mischievous grin grew on Misty's face and she joked "You sound like you've got a crush on him."

"Uh… a… no I don't," protested Robyn, though the blush on her cheeks gave her away.

Realising that she had struck a nerve with that last comment, Misty decided to drop the subject.

"Guys, little help?" Ash called out.

Misty and Robyn both turned towards the sound of his voice and saw that Ash and Pikachu were surrounded by a large of small purple Pokémon.

"Ash, you're standing in the middle of their nest," Misty shouted to him.

"I am well aware of that," Ash shouted back "but the Rattata won't let me move away."

Misty snatched up Magikarp's pokéball again and threw it "Magikarp, come on out and use Tackle."

The Fish Pokémon appeared in a flash of light and bounced towards the pack of Rattata. As one the group of Rat Pokémon turned and charged, each one surrounded by a white glow.

"That's Quick Attack," commented Robyn.

The group of Rat Pokémon all collided as one with Misty's Magikarp and the water type Pokémon was thrown through the air to smack against the side of a large rock.

Misty groaned and recalled Magikarp to its pokéball.

"I got this," said Robyn, taking out the pokéball of her starter Pokémon "Let's go Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip."

The grass/poison type Pokémon appeared in a flash and two long vines shot out from beneath the green bulb on her back. With painful accuracy, the vines began to lash out and strike each of the Rattata.

With the small Pokémon distracted, Ash and Pikachu took their chance to get away from the nest.

Some of the Rattata noticed, however, and chased after them.

Ash turned and commanded "Pikachu, use Thundershock."

With a blast of electricity from Pikachu, the group of small normal type Pokémon quickly turned and retreated back towards their nest. As couple more strikes from Bulbasaur's vines saw the rest retreating too.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief and commented "If it's not birds its rats."

Robyn shook her head at him and said with a smirk on her face "Are you sure you're ready to become a Pokémon trainer?"

Ash rolled his eyes "I'll be fine. I've just hit a few bumps in the road, that's all."

"Pretty big bumps," commented Misty.

Ash scowled at her.

"Pika, Pikachu!" shouted the little electric type Pokémon.

All eyes once again turned to Pikachu and they saw that it was crouched down in front of a thorn bush, peering at something beneath.

"What is it Pikachu?" Ash asked, moving closer.

Suddenly two small Pokémon sprang out, one a light blue, the other a purple/pink colour. Clearly startled by Ash's sudden move the two Pokémon began to run away.

Robyn already had her Pokédex in her hand and was scanning for more information as Ash drew his own.

Robyn's Pokédex displayed an image of the blue Pokémon and recited loudly **'Nidoran, the Poison Pin Pokémon. The female is a mild-mannered Pokémon that does not like to fight unless pushed. Its venomous barbs render this Pokémon dangerous. The female has smaller horns than the male.'**

Following that, Ash's Pokédex displayed an image of the pink/purple Pokémon and reported **'Nidoran, the Poison Pin Pokémon. The male stiffens its large ears to sense danger. If it senses a threat, it will attack with a poisonous sting, and its Horn Attack is quite powerful, as the male's horn is larger than the female's.'**

Both Pokémon resembled a strange mix between a rabbit and a porcupine.

"So they're the same Pokémon, just different genders?" asked Robyn.

"Sure seems like it," replied Ash "and the male one would make a perfect addition to my team."

"In that case I'll catch the female," said Robyn "It might not be a willing battler, but those venomous barbs are bound to come in handy during a battle."

Decision make, Pikachu and Bulbasaur both set off at a run in pursuit of the two Nidoran. Ash and Robyn followed close behind them, and Misty brought up the rear.

They ran to the top of a hill and there they cornered the two poison type Pokémon.

The character traits of the two Pokémon, as described by the Pokédex proved to be true. The female was hanging back, clearly trying to avoid detection. The male on the other hand was standing its ground, prepared to take on both Pikachu and Bulbasaur.

"Pikachu, use Thundershock!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu unleashed a blast of electricity, but the male Nidoran sprang to the side and avoided the attack easily. The electrical blow left a scorched line in the grass.

With a cry the male charged forwards and delivered a Tackle attack to Pikachu, who flipped through the air with the force of the blow, but was quick to regain his footing.

Robyn entered the fight.

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip on the female."

Once again two long and thick vines extended out from beneath the green bulb on Bulbasaur's back. Both vines raced towards the hiding female and lashed her hard.

The female cried out and the male turned to face Bulbasaur. It raised its head, and the long horn growing from between its eyes took on a pale white glow. The male Nidoran charged, intending to strike Bulbasaur with its powerful Horn Attack.

At Ash's command Pikachu stopped the male's attack with a Thundershock.

As the male turned to face Pikachu again, Robyn called for another Vine Whip on the female.

Bulbasaur made to attack again, but suddenly the female sprang up and swiped with her front paws. The double use of the Scratch attack blocked Bulbasaur's attacking vines perfectly and the female leaped forwards, clearly ready for more.

Again the Pokédex proved correct. The female Nidoran did not like to fight unless pushed.

As Robyn called out for a Tackle attack from her Bulbasaur, the female Nidoran charged forwards, intending to use the same move.

The male Nidoran charged forwards with its horn aglow, clearly intending to strike Pikachu with a Horn Attack.

"Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu sprang backwards and raised himself up onto his lightning bolt shaped tail. A quick twist after that was all that it took for Pikachu to avoid the attack from the male.

Pikachu turned to keep the male in his sights, but that proved to be a mistake.

The female's charge at Bulbasaur proved to be a bluff. At the last moment it jerked to the side, completely avoiding Bulbasaur, who stumbled with surprise. The female Nidoran, however, sprang forwards and jumped into the air, straight for Pikachu.

The electric Pokémon cried out as the female landed a Scratch attack across his back.

The male Nidoran then charged again and succeeded in striking Pikachu with its Horn Attack.

Pikachu tumbled through the air and crashed to the ground.

Both Nidoran lined up and charged towards Pikachu, intending to land a double Tackle.

But they had forgotten Bulbasaur and her vines.

One vine wrapped itself around the male's middle, the other around the female. Both Pokémon cried out in surprise as they were lifted into the air at Robyn's prompting of Bulbasaur.

The grass type Pokémon threw them high into the air and with a shout from Ash Pikachu jumped up and unleashed a blast of electricity.

The two poison type Pokémon felt the full force of Pikachu's attack and both landed on the ground with thuds.

Ash and Robyn both drew a pokéball each and with a shout of "Pokéball, go!" they threw the pokéballs at the two downed Pokémon and each one vanished inside.

The two pokéballs rocked in place for a few moments, a little red light illuminating the button on the front of each.

Then the two pokéballs stopped shaking, and the little lights went out.

"We did it," said Ash in a tone of surprise "We actually did it. We caught our first Pokémon."

"Of course we did," said Robyn "was there ever any doubt?"

"Well, I doubted Ash…" said Misty, jokingly.

"Thanks a bunch," replied Ash, indignantly as he picked up Nidoran's pokéball.

"Alright, Nidoran, come on out," Ash called as he threw Nidoran's pokéball into the air.

In a flash, Nidoran appeared.

Ash crouched down to get a better look at his new Pokémon "Welcome to the team, buddy."

"Pika, pika," said Pikachu in agreement.

"Nido," replied the Poison Pin Pokémon happily.

Robyn opened her Nidoran's pokéball as well and she and Bulbasaur welcomed the newcomer to their team too.

"Well, guys," said Misty "how about some lunch?"

"Sounds great," said Ash enthusiastically. A moment later his stomach gave a particularly large growl.

"Even your stomach is the same as ever," commented Robyn as she swung her bag off of her shoulder and set it down upon the ground.

Misty released Magikarp and Staryu from their pokéballs and the group, humans and Pokémon all sat down on the ground and shared out their food.

Once their impromptu picnic was done, they packed up everything and made ready to leave.

"Hey, Robyn?" said Ash "We made a great team earlier, didn't we?"

"We've always been a good team," replied Robyn with a smile.

"Yeah," Ash agreed "Well, I was thinking that maybe we ought to remain a team. You know, travel together?"

"Oh," said Robyn in surprise "yeah, um… Ash don't get me wrong, I'd love to travel around with you, but for now I think it would be better if we took separate paths."

"Really?" asked Ash, downtrodden.

Robyn nodded "It would be for the best. I mean, our goals are the same, go around, catch a variety of Pokémon, challenge the gyms… If we're together we'll see each other's every move. We'll know each other's strategies, and that would take the fun out of it when we battle each other."

"Oh," said Ash "Well, I suppose that makes sense. Gary wouldn't be much of a rival to me if I knew his every move."

"Exactly," said Robyn "But that doesn't mean we can't share parts of our adventures together. You were right, we do make a great team. And working together to catch our first Pokémon was great, and I'd like to do things like that again, but that can't be all we do. When you're in a battle, usually you are on your own, trusting your own instincts. How would we learn to do that if we come to rely on each other to watch our backs too much?"

Ash nodded sadly. Robyn smiled and pulled him into a hug "We'll get together every chance we get. And we'll battle and share stories and be the best rivals ever."

Ash smiled and said "Yeah we will."

"And we'll show that Gary just how good we are."

Ash's smile turned into a full blown grin "We'll make sure he won't know what hit him."

"No he won't," said Robyn "We'll both beat him, again and again. And then we'll get to the Pokémon league, beat him again on the way to the top, and Ritchie. And then it'll be us in the final."

Ash nodded "And our battle will be the greatest ever in the history of the Pokémon league."

"It will," said Robyn "but only if we take separate paths to get there."

"Yeah, alright," replied Ash "Guess we'd better part ways now then."

Robyn nodded "Yeah. It's after lunchtime already, and I want to get back to Viridian Forest before night falls. What about you?"

"I want to stay here for another day," replied Ash "I get the feeling that there are a couple more Pokémon around here just waiting for me to catch them."

"I bet you'll get the lot," said Robyn, swinging her bag onto her shoulder.

She gave Ash one final hug before turning to her Bulbasaur and Nidoran "Alright you two, we've got a world to conquer."

She turned to Misty and said in an undertone so that Ash couldn't hear "You watch his back, alright?"

Misty smiled and nodded, and they Robyn and her two Pokémon began walking away.

Ash, Misty and their Pokémon watched until the trio were out of sight, and then Misty turned and grabbed Ash by the arm "Right, come on you."

"Where are we going?" asked Ash.

"You said you wanted to find more Pokémon," said Misty, dragging him towards the water "So I'm gonna teach you how to fish."

Pikachu and Nidoran watched the redhead drag their trainer off. Then they turned towards each other and shared a look. Then both Pokémon shrugged and bounded off after them.

* * *

**A/N: So how was that? Told you the big changes were coming in episode three. For those of you who are wondering, yes Robyn does have a crush on Ash. Ash is clueless, as he is ten. The two Nidos will frequently act as a couple whenever Ash and Robyn get together. The two will actually get together rather frequently, and Robyn will be seen more than Gary or Ritchie, though both will still appear enough to be proper rivals.**

**You should all of course realise that Ash is on Kanto Route 22. I know that Nidoran were not found there in Fire Red and Leaf Green, but fortunately this is based around Red, Green, Blue and Yellow of Generation 1 (and yes it does mean I will be sticking with those Pokémon and moves.) The more astute readers should probably be able to work out what two important events will be occurring in the next episode.**


	4. A Rival Confrontation

**Here's the next episode, in which Ash and Gary face off for the first time in battle! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 4: A Rival Confrontation

With a plop the lure dropped into the water, disturbing the calm surface of the lake.

"See how relaxing this is?" asked Misty as she leaned back to enjoy the rays of the bright sun as she waited on a Pokémon taking the bait of her fishing line.

Sitting next to her, Ash was unimpressed and complained loudly "We've been at this for hours Misty, and nothing has taken the bait."

"The art of fishing is a waiting game," Misty replied sagely "And an important trait for any aspiring Pokémon trainer to develop is patience."

"But this is taking for ever," Ash replied "I could've found and caught a whole bunch of new Pokémon in the time I've been waiting for something to take this stupid bait."

"You need a water type Pokémon," said Misty calmly, "and fishing is the best way to find a water type Pokémon."

"Why must I have a water type?" asked Ash.

"Because you are not a type specialist," answered Misty "A type specialist, like me, uses only one type of Pokémon, in my case water types. You on the other hand want to catch a wide variety of Pokémon, as you have demonstrated by catching Nidoran when your starter was Pikachu. Both of those Pokémon complement each other reasonably well, but Pikachu is an electric type and Nidoran is a poison type. Both of those types are weak to ground type Pokémon, which is a type that water types are strong against, so in order to cover that weakness, you must catch a water type Pokémon."

"Couldn't I just borrow one of yours?" asked Ash.

"You could if you really needed to," replied Misty "But it will be better for you to catch your own. And put your hat on!"

Ash muttered under his breath as he reached for his hat. Not the official Pokémon League Baseball Cap that he usually wore, but the straw hat Misty had produced from her bag for him to wear. She had insisted that his usual hat was okay for keeping the sun out of his eyes, but it could not do that and protect the back of his neck from sunburn as well.

Ash felt incredibly stupid wearing it.

Quite suddenly the float on the end of Ash's line disappeared beneath the surface and the line began to rapidly unwind as the Pokémon that was hooked on the end began to swim away.

"Reel it in quick," Misty shouted excitedly.

Ash grabbed the handle of the reel firmly and began to wind the line back in. The Pokémon suddenly broke the surface and with two slaps of its tail around his face, the Magikarp knocked Ash flat on his back before making its escape.

"Bwah!" groaned Ash, his cheeks stinging from the slaps of the fish Pokémon.

"Maybe you don't have the hang of this yet," commented Misty sympathetically.

Ash sat up and, in a rage, yelled "You stupid fish! I'll get you for that!"

And before Misty could protest, Ash had jumped into the lake.

"Real mature Ash!" Misty shouted at him when he resurfaced "You just scared everything off!"

"Hey, it's not like there was anything put Magikarp here to begin with!" Ash shouted back.

Misty let out an annoyed sigh "Oh, you! Now we'll have to move upstream."

"Fine," grumbled Ash as he moved to begin to come ashore.

Suddenly however he spotted something behind Misty and Pikachu and shouted "Hey, get away from there!"

On the bank Misty and Pikachu spun around to see that a small, light brown Pokémon had stuck over and begun rummaging through Ash's backpack. It had looked up at Ash's shout, its mouth stuffed full with a rice ball or two. And on its head was Ash's Official Pokémon League cap.

Ash reached the bank, pulled himself from the water and ran towards the Pokémon. It was faster than him, however, and was sitting on a branch up in a tall tree long before Ash got near his bag. His hat was still on the Pokémon's head.

"Give that back!" Ash shouted up at the Pokémon.

In response the Pokémon merely stuck out its tongue and proceeded to dance about on the branch.

"What is it, anyway?" asked Misty, coming up to Ash's side.

Ash took out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon in the tree. The Pokédex gave off a beep, and then the electronic voice began to recite,

'**Mankey, a Pig Monkey Pokémon of the ****Fighting-type****. Known for its superior footwork, it packs a powerful punch. Although Mankey is usually calm, it does have a bad temper.'**

"Sounds like a Pokémon to be careful around," observed Misty.

"Maybe," said Ash "But I'm not gonna just let it get away with stealing my hat like that.

He began to scramble up the trunk of the tree, ignoring Misty's protests. He did not get very far before losing his footing and crashing back down to the ground.

Laughter came from behind them and a voice spoke up.

"Well, well, Ashy boy. I always knew you were a loser, and this just proves it."

Ash whirled around at the sound of the voice and was surprised at who he saw there.

"Gary? What're you doing here?"

"I went to see if there were any good Pokémon on the road ahead, but I couldn't get by," Gary replied.

"Why not?" asked Ash.

"There's a guard station up ahead," replied Gary "They check how strong your Pokémon are and decide if you're good enough to face the very strong Pokémon ahead. I knew that I wasn't ready to pass, and there's no way that you are either."

"What makes you so sure?" demanded Ash hotly "I'll bet I'm way stronger than you."

Gary laughed "Yeah, right. I saw how you handled that Magikarp earlier."

Ash hung his head "Oh, you saw that, huh?"

"I did, and your failure there is all the proof I need to know that I'm the better trainer."

"If you're so sure then you won't mind proving it in a battle," retorted Ash.

Gary raised an eyebrow "A battle huh? Well, I guess my Pokémon could do with a little warm up before I head to Viridian Forest."

Gary grabbed a pokéball and said "No one wins until every Pokémon owned by the other trainer is incapable of battling, agreed?"

"Agreed," replied Ash.

"But Ash-" exclaimed Misty, only to be waved off by Ash. She had wanted to point out that Gary probably had more than two Pokémon, but as Ash was being overconfident again she decided to let him get on with it.

Ash grabbed up a pokéball and threw it "Nidoran, I choose you!"

In a flash of light Nidoran appeared, eager for battle.

Gary threw his pokéball "Spearow, you're up."

The moment the flying type Pokémon appeared, Pikachu sprang forwards to Ash's side, the red pouches on his cheeks crackling with electricity. Ash's eyes widened in surprise. He knew that Spearow, as it was the one he had hit with a rock on his way to Viridian City. It was the one that had been the leader of the flock of Spearow that had attacked him and Pikachu so relentlessly.

"Easy, Pikachu," said Ash to the little electric type Pokémon "Nidoran can handle this," he turned to the poison pin Pokémon "Alright Nidoran, let's start things off with a Horn Attack!"

With a cry Nidoran sprang forwards at a run. The horn on his head seemed to grow slightly as it took on a pale white glow. Once in range, Nidoran launched itself into the air, intending to ram the flying type Spearow with its horn.

For a second it looked like there might be a direct hit, but in the last moment Spearow swooped to the side, easily dodging Nidoran's attack.

"Spearow, use Peck," commanded Gary.

At a quick speed, Spearow swooped down towards Nidoran, intending to jab the poison type Pokémon with its beak.

"Use Tackle," Ash called out to Nidoran.

Nidoran jumped forwards and rammed Spearow with his body, and in the process he prevented the Peck attack from landing a blow.

"Hit it with Fury Attack!" ordered Gary.

Spearow righted itself from Nidoran's blow, and the moved in to attack again. This time the move hit, and Nidoran was subjected to a series of repeated blows from Spearow's sharp, pointed beak.

Seeing Nidoran in trouble, Ash grabbed up the poison type's pokéball and ordered it to return. In a beam of red light, Nidoran disappeared from the battlefield.

Gary laughed and said "I was wondering how long it would take you to do that. So, which Pokémon is next?"

Ash turned to the electric type beside him "Are ya ready Pikachu?"

"Pika!" said Pikachu with an eager nod before bounding out onto the battlefield.

In response, Gary held up a pokéball and ordered "Return, Spearow."

Spearow vanished back inside the pokéball.

"What?" demanded Ash indignantly.

Gary smirked and replied "You're not the only one who can switch their Pokémon."

He took up another pokéball and threw it "Go, Rattata!"

The pokéball snapped open and Rattata appeared on the battlefield.

"Rattata, start things off with a Quick Attack," instructed Gary.

Rattata's body took on a pale white glow and the Pokémon charged forwards with startling speed.

Ash tried to order Pikachu to use Thundershock, but Rattata's attack landed its blow before he could get the words out.

"Wow, that was fast," commented Ash "I wish you could do that, Pikachu."

Pikachu looked up at him with a frown "Pika. Pika pika pi."

Ash's eyes widened in surprise "You mean you can do that move?"

"Pika!" replied Pikachu with a nod of confirmation.

"Alright," said Ash eagerly "Pikachu, use Quick Attack."

Body taking on a glow similar to the one that had surrounded Rattata, Pikachu sprang forwards and charged towards the normal type Pokémon in front of him.

What followed was a rapid-fire exchange of blows as both mouse-like Pokémon put all their strength and speed into a physical brawl of one Quick Attack after another.

But then Gary changed things up. Just as Ash ordered Pikachu to use its seventh Quick Attack in a row, Gary shouted out "Hyper Fang!"

In one fluid movement, Rattata twisted out of the way of Pikachu's attack, twisted around bit Pikachu hard on his side with its sharp fangs.

"Oh no! Pikachu!" Ash shouted out with concern as the electric type Pokémon cried out in pain.

Rattata swung around and threw Pikachu away.

Pikachu crashed to the floor, but got up, battered and bruised but ready for more.

"Let's finish this," said Gary "Rattata, use Tackle."

Rattata bounded forwards to ram Pikachu with its body, but Ash was ready.

"Pikachu, use Thundershock."

With a cry of "Pi-Kachuuuu!" Pikachu unleashed a blast of electrical energy from his body.

Rattata screeched loudly as the electrical attack coursed through its body.

When the attack ended, Rattata slumped to the ground, defeated.

"Yeah," cheered Ash "How do ya like that, Gary?"

"Not bad, Ash," Gary replied, offering up a rare compliment "But I've still got this battle in the bag."

He recalled Rattata to its pokéball and threw another "Go, Squirtle."

"Squirtle squirt," said the small blue turtle-like Pokémon on appearing from its pokéball.

Ash grabbed up his Pokédex in order to learn more:

'**Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokémon. It draws its long neck into its shell to launch incredible water attacks with amazing range and accuracy. The blasts can be quite powerful. It also withdraws into its shell when in danger.'**

"A water type?" Ash asked "You're going to use a water type Pokémon against an electric type like Pikachu?"

"I agree that is might seem like a bad matchup," replied Gary "but Pikachu's already taken a lot of damage from its fight with my Rattata, so I'm confident that Squirtle can win even with the disadvantage."

"No way that's gonna happen," replied Ash.

"That confident huh?" asked Gary.

"You got that right," said Ash "In fact, I'm so confident, I'll even let you take the first move."

"Ash don't be stupid," said Misty from the side lines, but he ignored her.

"Fine then," said Gary "Squirtle, use Bubble."

The water type Pokémon opened its mouth wide and unleashed multiple clear bubbles across the battlefield.

"Pikachu, use Thundershock," Ash ordered.

Pikachu unleashed its attack, but it merely popped the bubbles send out by Squirtle. Squirtle itself avoided the attack completely.

"Squirtle," Gary shouted "Use Tackle."

Squirtle charged forwards and rammed Pikachu hard, sending the electric type Pokémon tumbling backwards.

"Now finish it with Water Gun." ordered Gary.

Following its trainer's command, Squirtle shot a powerful spray of water from its mouth. The blast of water struck Pikachu hard, and the little yellow Pokémon was thrown backwards to crash into a tree.

It was the same tree that Mankey was in, and the small Pokémon lost its footing and nearly fell to the ground, and would have, had it not been for its strong prehensile tail that quickly wrapped around a lower branch.

Ash ran over to Pikachu and picked the electric type up in his arms.

Pikachu was clearly out of the fight.

"But… how?" Ash asked, more to himself than anybody else, but Gary still offered up an answer.

"I already told you, Pikachu was weak from its battle with Rattata. A weakened Pokémon is much easier to defeat, type advantage or not."

Ash walked over to Misty "Look after Pikachu, please," he asked, holding his first Pokémon out to her.

With a small, sympathetic smile, Misty took Pikachu from him.

Ash turned back around to face Gary once again. He grabbed up a pokéball and called out "Nidoran, I choose you!"

The pokéball snapped open and in a burst of white light Nidoran appeared back on the battlefield.

"That one again, huh?" asked Gary "Alright, I'll switch out too," he held up a pokéball "Squirtle, return."  
In a beam of red energy the water type Pokémon vanished back inside its pokéball.

He grabbed another pokéball "Spearow, you're back in."

The pokéball opened and the flying type Pokémon appeared on the battlefield once again.

Gary wasted no time in getting the battle started "Spearow, use Fury Attack."

Spearow swooped down and landed a series of painful jabs of its beak onto Nidoran.

"Nidoran, use Horn Attack," Ash ordered.

Nidoran aimed a jab with its horn at Spearow, but the flying type Pokémon had already flown away from it.

"Try a Tackle," shouted Ash.

Nidoran jumped high into the air, intending to land a blow, but Spearow was too good of a flyer to get hit.

"Keep trying," Ash shouted to Nidoran

"Dodge everything," responded Gary to Spearow.

No matter how many times Nidoran tried to land a Tackle attack, Spearow managed to dodge every attempt.

Then Gary changed the pace of battle "Use Peck."

Spearow's sharp beak caught Nidoran on the back in the middle of a jump, and the poison pin Pokémon crashed to the ground.

"You'll have to try a lot harder than that if you want to ever beat something that can fly," commented Gary before commanding "Spearow, use Fury Attack."

Spearow dove towards the ground and began to once again strike Nidoran with repeated blows.

But Ash wasn't prepared to give up just yet and shouted out to his Pokémon "Nidoran, use Horn Attack!"

This time Spearow did not get away. Nidoran drove its horn so hard into Spearow's side that the bird Pokémon screeched as it scrambled to get away. It did not get far before Nidoran charged in with another Horn Attack.

The fight was over. Spearow collapsed upon the ground, exhausted and unable to battle anymore.

Ash cheered for his Pokémon as Gary recalled Spearow to its pokéball.

"You got there in the end," said Gary "but only by luck. And by the looks of it, Nidoran will be out with the next hit."

He grabbed a pokéball "Squirtle, you're back in."

The Tiny Turtle Pokémon reappeared back on the battlefield.

"Use Water Gun," commanded Gary.

Squirtle unleashed a jet of water from its mouth and Nidoran was hit.

Just as Gary had predicted, that was it for the poison type. Nidoran slumped to the floor, unable to continue fighting.

"So that's two down each," said Gary with a smirk "So what's your next Pokémon?"

Ash winced and replied "Uh, I don't have any more Pokémon."

Gary's eyes widened with surprise "What? Are you serious? You've come all this way and have only caught two Pokémon? Well, I guess I always knew that you were a loser."

He began to laugh as he recalled Squirtle to its pokéball.

"How many more do you have?" asked Ash.

"None of your business," replied Gary as he turned to leave "Smell ya later."

And with that he was gone.

Ash groaned and slumped to the ground.

Misty came up behind him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and tried to reassure him "You gave it your best, Ash."

"And it still wasn't good enough," replied Ash despondently.

"Maybe not," said Misty "But had this been a two-on-two battle only, you would have won. Don't forget that it took three of Gary's Pokémon to defeat both of yours, and you still took down two of his."

Ash brightened slightly at that "Yeah, you're right."

He got to his feet and took Pikachu from Misty "Come on. We better get to the Pokémon centre in Viridian City."

"What about your hat?" Misty asked.

"Oh yeah," muttered Ash.

He turned back to the tree that Mankey was in "I'm leaving now Mankey. Can I have my hat back?"

The Mankey in the tree looked at Ash consideringly, then took the hat off of its head and threw it down to Ash who caught it and put it on his head.

"Thanks Mankey," Ash called up to the Pokémon before turning and leaving, Misty at his side and Pikachu in his arms.

Mankey watched them go with interest.

* * *

"Your Pokémon are fully healed," said Nurse Joy, handing over a small tray on which Pikachu sat next to Nidoran's pokéball.

"Thanks Nurse Joy," said Ash, taking and attaching Nidoran's pokéball to his belt.

Pikachu hopped up onto his shoulder and Ash and Misty turned to leave the Pokémon centre.

Exiting the building they passed several trucks that were loaded with the building equipment that belonged to the builders who were already working to repair the damage to the Pokémon centre.

They rounded a corner and were surprised to see a familiar face.

The Mankey that had stolen Ash was standing on the sidewalk, clearly waiting for them.

Ash looked at it with surprise and asked "What're you doing here?"

In response Mankey stomped its foot and pumped its fists eagerly.

"Looks to me like Mankey wants to fight," commented Misty observantly.

"Is that right, Mankey?" Ash asked.

Mankey gave a nod of reply.

"Alright," said Ash "Pikachu, go for it!"

Pikachu eagerly jumped down from Ash's shoulder and stood to face Mankey.

Ash called the first move "Pikachu, use Thundershock!"

Pikachu unleashed a blast of electricity which Mankey dodged completely.

Then the fighting type Pokémon swung around and swiped at Pikachu, landing a blow.

"That's a Scratch attack," said Misty.

"Pikachu, keep on guard," Ash shouted "You don't want to take too many of those."

"Pika!" replied Pikachu in acknowledgement.

Mankey darted towards Pikachu and stretched out a leg.

Pikachu sprang up to dodge the move and landed behind Mankey.

"I think that was a Low Kick," commented Misty.

"Okay, I am definitely catching this thing," said Ash "Pikachu, Thundershock."

Without allowing Mankey the chance to turn around, Pikachu unleashed a blast of electricity that shocked Mankey hard.

The fighting type got angry and moved in for another Scratch.

"Quick Attack," shouted Ash.

Pikachu charged towards the incoming foe and collided with Mankey, knocking the other Pokémon back, but not before Mankey's Scratch landed a decent blow.

"Wrap this up," said Ash "use Thundershock."

Pikachu unleashed another blast of electricity that struck Mankey.

The wild Pokémon sank to its knees and Ash took his chance.

He snatched up an empty pokéball and with an eager shout of "Pokéball, go!" he threw it.

Mankey vanished inside and a few seconds later the little red light on the button of the pokéball went out, confirming the capture.

Ash ran to pick up the pokéball and held it high triumphantly "Yeah! I caught a Mankey!" he cheered.

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu added.

"Nice catch, Ash," said a voice.

They turned to see Nurse Joy leaning out of a window of the Pokémon centre.

"Thanks Nurse Joy," said Ash.

"No problem," she replied with a smile "But do me a favour, would you? Have your next battle elsewhere. You already destroyed the front of the Pokémon centre, and I rather like the building having at least three walls."

The smile on her face made sure that there was no sting in her words.

Ash grinned sheepishly "Oh yeah. Sure thing, Nurse Joy."

Ash and Misty then headed off, intending to head towards Viridian Forest, the next location of their adventure.

* * *

**A/N: So what do you think? Yes, Ash lost to Gary, but he kind of had to at this point. Don't worry, there will be plenty of rematches. And he caught Mankey. Yay! This guy is pretty much the same as the one he caught in the anime as a Primeape, but won't have an attitude problem (yet!) **

**As a heads up, the next "Episode" of this will be very similar to EP003 of the original anime series "Ash catches a Pokémon" though obviously the title will now have to be different.**


	5. Trouble in the Forest

**Here's the next episode, featuring the beginning of the journey through the Viridian Forest. Gonna be introducing quite a few bugs here. It's essentially the plot of the third episode of the anime - "Ash Catches a Pokémon" – but I have tried to put in a few changes.**

* * *

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 5: Trouble in the Forest.

Ancient trees stood tall and proud, their massive trunks standing silent and still, as they had done for centuries before.

No breeze blew, and the leaves in the treetops and the grass on the ground remained motionless. Everything was quiet and calm, the very meaning of the word "peaceful."

Or at least it was until an ear drum destroying scream filled the air.

In amongst the trees somewhere within Viridian Forest, Ash Ketchum took his hands off of his ears and turned to the girl who was clinging fearfully to his back.

"What's with you?" he demanded.

"There's a bug," replied Misty "an icky, gross, disgusting, slimy, creepy bug!"

Ash turned around and saw that there was in fact a small green caterpillar like Pokémon standing in a clump of grass about ten feet away from him. The thing was barely a foot long. From the look on its face, it seemed that the creature had just been woken up by Misty's scream.

"It's only little Misty," said Ash "what's the matter with ya?"

"Bugs are disgusting," replied Misty "Get rid of it."

Ash frowned and took out his Pokédex.

**Caterpie, the Worm Pokémon. Caterpie uses the suction cups on its feet to climb trees and feed on its favourite leaves. ****If you touch the feeler on top of its head, it will release a horrible stink to protect itself.**

"Why are you wasting time?" demanded Misty "Get rid of it before it can attack us."

"Why would I get rid of it?" asked Ash "I'm gonna catch it."

"What?" screamed Misty in dismay.

Ash ignored her, and took up a pokéball "Nidoran, go!"

The pokéball snapped open and the poison type Pokémon appeared, facing Caterpie.

The little bug type Pokémon seemed to know what was going to happen and jumped forward eagerly to face its opponent.

"Alright Nidoran, start things off with a Tackle," commanded Ash.

Nidoran bounded towards Caterpie, intending to ram the other Pokémon.

In response Caterpie raised its head and spat out a long, thin white string that quickly tangled itself around Nidoran's feet.

Nidoran slowed to a stop and looked down at its feet, which were now covered in the string.

"What was that?" asked Ash, picking up his Pokédex.

**String Shot. Sticky silk-like string is shot from the mouth to wrap around an opponent's body, slowing it down.**

A loud cry drew Ash's attention back to the battle. Caterpie was charging towards Nidoran for its own Tackle attack.

Before Ash could shout out a warning to Nidoran, Caterpie had landed its attack, knocking Nidoran back.

Nidoran shook off the blow and turned around to face Caterpie again as the bug type Pokémon was preparing to launch another Tackle attack.

"Use Horn Attack," Ash ordered.

As Caterpie charged in for another strike, the horn on Nidoran's head took on a white glow and lengthened slightly. And then when Caterpie got in close, Nidoran swung his head and struck the incoming Pokémon with his horn, knocking it to the side.

Caterpie tumbled across the ground and came to a stop, just in time to see Ash snatch up an empty pokéball from out of his pocket and throw it with a shout of "Pokéball, go!"

The red and white pokéball snapped open, there was a flash of red light and Caterpie vanished inside. The pokéball landed on the ground and shook a few times, but then it went completely still.

"Alright!" yelled Ash, picking up the pokéball "I caught Caterpie!"

"Pi. Pikachu!" cheered Pikachu.

"Why did you do that?" demanded Misty "I told you to get rid of it, not catch it!"

"Well it's not up to you what I catch and what I don't," replied Ash "And if you don't like that I caught Caterpie, you can leave."

"I'm not leaving until you pay me back for my bike," replied Misty.

"Then you're gonna have to put up with Caterpie," retorted Ash.

"You caught that Caterpie?" asked a demanding voice.

Ash and Misty turned around to see a young boy coming towards them. He was shorter than Ash, was wearing a straw hat, a white vest and blue shorts. Slung over his shoulder was a net.

"Who are you?" asked Ash.

"The name's Doug," replied the boy "And I've been tracking that Caterpie down for hours."

"You can have it," said Misty, eager to see to it that Caterpie was out of her life as soon as possible.

"No he can't," Ash said to her before turning back to Doug and asking "Why do you want the Caterpie that I caught? There must be loads of them in this forest."

"I tracked that one because it's closer to evolving than most others in this forest," replied Doug.

"Hey, I know," said Misty, eagerly "why don't you battle for it?"

"Battle?" asked Ash "For Caterpie?"

"Yeah," replied Misty "You have a battle and the winner gets to keep Caterpie."

"That hardly seems fair," said Ash "I battled and caught Caterpie. If I lose the battle, then I not only lose Caterpie but also the pokéball I used to capture it."

"I can replace the pokéball," said Doug, taking an empty pokéball out of his pocket and showing it to Ash.

Ash rounded on Misty and said with an accusing tone "You just want me to get rid of Caterpie."

Misty turned her back on him and replied "I don't know what you mean."

Ash frowned and turned back to face Doug "Fine. I'll accept the battle."

"Three on three alright?" asked Doug.

"That's fine," replied Ash "You first."

Doug took a pokéball and threw it "Kakuna, you're up."

The Pokémon that appeared was yellow and like a cocoon. It had a dome shaped head and black, triangular eyes.

Ash took out his Pokédex for more information.

**Kakuna, the Cocoon Pokémon. It is able to move only slightly. When in danger, it may stick out its stinger and poison its enemy. It is the evolved form of the Hairy Bug Pokémon Weedle.**

"Alright," said Ash, pocketing his Pokédex and grabbing a pokéball "In that case I'll use something with a bit of speed," he threw the pokéball "Mankey, I choose you."

The pokéball snapped open and the fighting type Mankey appeared.

"Be careful, Mankey," said Ash warningly "Kakuna might poison you if it gets the chance."

Mankey nodded before pumping its fists in eagerness to battle.

"Alright Mankey, start off with a Scratch."

Mankey sprang towards the opponent, intending to swipe at Kakuna.

"Kakuna, use Harden," ordered Doug.

Kakuna's body seemed to stiffen, and it took on a slight glow.

Mankey swiped its paw against Kakuna's body, but the attack seemed to barely do anything.

"Mankey, try again," said Ash.

Mankey spun around and went to deliver another blow.

"Harden again, Kakuna," said Doug.

Once again Kakuna's body stiffened and once again Mankey's subsequent attack seemed to do very little damage to the bug type Pokémon.

"Alright Kakuna," said Doug "use String Shot."

"Jump Mankey," shouted Ash.

Kakuna spat a spray of silken string from its mouth, but Mankey avoided the attack by jumping up into the air.

"Now use Scratch again."

Mankey landed and swiped at Kakuna before it could harden again.

"Low Kick!"

"Poison Sting!"

Mankey landed its kick to Kakuna, but at the same time the bug Pokémon managed to jab Mankey with its stinger, injecting a dose of poison.

The fighting type Pokémon took the hit easily. His opponent, however, did not.

Kakuna collapsed in a dead faint.

With a snort of annoyance, Doug the Bug Catcher recalled the fallen Kakuna to its pokéball and then called on another Pokémon.

"Venonat, you're up."

Venonat turned out to be a purple coloured Pokémon with red compound eyes and long white antennae. It was quite a bit larger than Kakuna, and despite its name it resembled a large, furry mite far more than a gnat.

Ash took out his Pokédex to learn about this new opponent.

**Venonat, the Insect Pokémon. Its multiple eyes allow it to see well in the dark, and act as a radar. It is also instinctively attracted to light.**

Ash pocketed his Pokédex and continued the fight.

"Alright Mankey, use Low Kick."

Mankey sprang forwards and swung its leg out to deliver a kick, but-

"Use Disable, Venonat," ordered Doug.

Venonat's eyes shone with a red glow. The same glow appeared around Mankey, and the fighting type froze in its attack.

"Mankey, try again," shouted Ash.

Doug chuckled "Good luck trying. When hit by disable, a Pokémon cannot use one of its moves for a while. You can call for Low Kick all you want, but Mankey still won't be able to perform it."

"Fine then," said Ash "Mankey, use Scratch."

Mankey swung around with its paw and landed a scratch across Venonat's body. On Ash's command, this was quickly followed up by a second blow, and then a third.

"Venonat, use Confusion," ordered Doug.

Venonat's eyes lit up with a blue glow. A similar glow surrounded Mankey and it was lifted up into the air, limbs flailing madly, before being thrown back to the ground.

"Now finish it with Tackle," ordered Doug.

Venonat charged at Mankey, intending to strike the dazed fighting type before it could gain its bearings.

"Low Kick," shouted Ash.

"Not gonna hap – huh?"

Just as Venonat's body collided with Mankey's, the Pig Monkey Pokémon's foot came up to smash into the bug type Pokémon. The Tackle attack was enough to finish off Mankey, but it at least got in one final blow, thanks to Disable suddenly wearing off.

Ash recalled Mankey to its pokéball and congratulated it on doing a good job. Then he reattached Mankey's pokéball to his belt, and he took another.

"Caterpie, I choose you!"

"Hey, no fair!" protested Doug "You can't use Caterpie. It's the Pokémon we're battling for."

"There was nothing in the rules that said I couldn't use Caterpie," replied Ash "And as you seem to think that it's the strongest of its kind in the area, I thought I's see just how strong it really is."

"Yuck," muttered Misty "Two bugs at the same time…"

Everyone ignored her.

Ash called out to his newest Pokémon "Caterpie, use String Shot."

Caterpie raised is head and shot a long silken string from its mouth.

"Disable it," ordered Doug.

Venonat's multiple eyes glowed red again and, as with Mankey and his Low Kick attack, Caterpie found itself unable to perform its String Shot.

"Alright," said Ash determinedly "We'll just have to go with a Tackle attack."

Caterpie charged full speed towards Venonat but-

"Confusion!"

Venonat's eyes lit up with a blue light. Caterpie was surrounded by the light and then was hurled backwards, straight towards the trunk of a very old tree.

"Caterpie," shouted Ash "Land with your feet on the trunk."

Hearing its trainer, Caterpie twisted itself and landed with its multiple feet on the trunk of the tree.

"Venonat, go after it and give it a Tackle," said Doug.

As Venonat bounded forwards, Ash shouted out to Caterpie "Climb up out of the way!"

Caterpie scrambled frantically up the tree, and moments later Venonat crashed into it, in the very spot where Caterpie had been.

"Now use Tackle," shouted Ash.

Caterpie jumped from the tree and rocketed straight down towards the ground, where it collided head-to-head with Venonat.

The larger Pokémon wobbled and fell over, out cold. Caterpie meanwhile managed to roll away, relatively unharmed.

"No way!" shouted Doug.

"Ha!" laughed Ash "I guess you were right and Caterpie really is strong."

"Don't you see it Ash?" demanded Misty from the side lines of the battle "Caterpie didn't win because it's strong. It won because Venonat was already heavily weakened from its fight with Mankey."

"It doesn't matter how Caterpie won," retorted Ash "It still won, even if Mankey did most of the work."

Doug meanwhile had recalled Venonat to its pokéball and taken a third one from his pocket.

He threw it and called out "Paras, it's your turn."

Another bug type, Paras was orange in colour and resembled a young cicada, and had two small mushrooms coming out of its back.

Ash flipped open his Pokédex once again to find out more.

**Paras, the Mushroom Pokémon. Rare mushrooms grow on its back. Paras burrows underground to gnaw on tree roots, and the mushrooms draw their nutrients from Paras.**

"How does that work?" asked Ash.

"The mushrooms are parasites," Misty shouted out to him.

"Paras, start things off with a Stun Spore," ordered Doug.

A cloud of yellow pollen burst from the tips of the mushrooms on Paras' back. The pollen quickly enveloped Caterpie.

It took a moment for the pollen to dissipate, but when it did, Caterpie was lying on its side, struggling to move.

"Caterpie?" Ash called out to it "What's wrong?"

"That was Stun Spore," said Misty "It paralyzes a Pokémon, making it very hard for that Pokémon to attack. It also makes it a much easier target to hit."

"She's right," said Doug "Now Paras, finish this with a Scratch attack."

Paras jumped at Caterpie and swiped at it with a pincer.

The battle was now over for Caterpie.

"Well done Caterpie," said Ash, recalling the fallen Pokémon to its pokéball "Take a good rest."

He took another pokéball and threw it "Nidoran, I choose you."

Nidoran appeared and pawed at the ground in eager anticipation of the upcoming fight.

"Start off with a Horn Attack," shouted Ash.

Horn aglow, Nidoran charged and had landed a direct hit upon Paras before either the Pokémon or its trainer could think up a response.

Paras rolled across the battlefield, but came to a stop in an upright position.

"Use Stun Spore," said Doug.

Once again the tips of the two mushrooms that grew out of Paras' back emitted a cloud of yellow pollen and, as had happened to Caterpie before it, Nidoran was surrounded by the stuff and paralysed.

"Nidoran!" Ash shouted frantically "Get up and use Tackle!"

But the poison type Pokémon could not get to its feet. He just shuddered weakly on the ground.

"Nidoran, get up!" Ash shouted.

"Paras, use Scratch," ordered Doug.

Paras moved rapidly towards Nidoran and raked a pincer along its side.

Still Nidoran could not get up.

"Give it another Scratch," shouted Doug, excitedly.

Paras inflicted another blow on Nidoran. This was followed quickly by another, and another.

"Nidoran," Ash shouted frantically "You have to fight back! Come on!"

"Finish this Paras," said Doug calmly.

Paras got in close to deliver one final blow, but Nidoran's eyes opened and the Poison Pin Pokémon reared up on his back legs. Paras froze in its attack as Nidoran's horn took on a white glow and grew longer. Nidoran then came back down to all four feet, and in doing so he drove his horn right into Paras.

The Mushroom Pokémon did not stand a chance against such a strong blow delivered so forcefully at so close a range.

As Doug recalled his Paras, Ash gave a cheer and ran to pick up Nidoran.

"You did it Nidoran!"

"Looks like that Caterpie's yours then," said Doug "Guess I'll have to find another one."

And with that he walked off.

Ash and Misty watched him go before Misty came over to Ash, taking her bag off of her shoulder "I've got some medicine in my back," she said "We can use it to heal your Pokémon."

It turned out that Misty was quite well stocked with medical supplies. She has something to heal Nidoran of his paralysis, and two revives, which were used to restore Mankey and Caterpie to the point where they were able to move around again. Then some potions to heal up a few general aches and pains, and a bottle of fresh water to wash it all down.

During the healing process, Misty and Caterpie seemed to come to some kind of agreement; Misty would tolerate Caterpie so long as it stayed away from her. If it got too close to her, she would introduce it to her foot in the form of a kick.

Following their earlier victory, and the fact that they had travelled a decent way into the forest, Ash decided to take a break for the rest of the day. Misty, Pikachu and the other Pokémon agreed wholeheartedly, and they set about making camp.

Not long after they ate, the sun went down. Ash recalled all his Pokémon (except Pikachu) to their pokéballs and then he and Misty got into their respective sleeping bags and went to sleep, Pikachu curling up on top of Ash's sleeping back, near his feet.

* * *

Early the next morning, the trio were awoken by the sound of wings flapping low overhead.

Ash blinked a couple of times as his eyes adjusted to the early morning sun. Then his vision cleared and he saw it.

Flying in a circle above them was a bird like Pokémon which was noticeably larger than the Pidgey and Spearow that he had encountered previously.

Eagerly Ash sat up. He recognised this particular Pokémon from a poster he had on the wall of his bedroom back at home.

"Hey, a Pidgeotto!"

He took out his Pokédex and scanned the flying type Pokémon.

**Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokémon. It is the evolved form of Pidgey. It is armed with sharp claws and dives from the sky to capture its prey. Unlike the more gentle Pidgey, Pidgeotto can be dangerous and is very territorial. Approach with caution.**

Ash turned to Misty and asked "You're not afraid of birds, are you?"

"No," replied Misty.

"Good," said Ash, getting out of his sleeping back "Then you won't mind me catching this Pidgeotto."

"Go right ahead," said Misty, stretching "A Pokémon like that will help even out your team."

"Are ya ready Pikachu?" Ash asked the little electric type Pokémon.

"Pika pika," replied Pikachu by way of confirmation.

However before Ash could give Pikachu the order to attack, another Pokémon appeared.

It was a round shaped Pokémon, purple in colour, with a face situated above an image of a skull and crossbones. It tried to attack the Pidgeotto with a Tackle attack, but the more agile bird was able to dodge the attack.

"Hey, isn't that…?" began Misty, only to be interrupted by a female laugh.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"Not this again!" exclaimed Ash.

"Don't interrupt us kid!" shouted the female voice before continuing.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"_Meowth_! That's right!"

"Are you three done?" asked Ash.

"We're done with our motto," replied Meowth "But we've still got business to attend to."

"Oh yeah?" asked Ash "And what might that be?"

"Well since you asked," said James "We were after that Pidgeotto up there, but seeing as you are here as well we will just have to steal all of your Pokémon too."

"Not gonna happen," said Ash, taking three pokéballs "Guys, come out and help me deal with these three losers."

He threw the pokéballs and in a flash of light his second, third and fourth Pokémon appeared to Pikachu's left. A moment later and Misty's three Pokémon, Staryu, Magikarp and one that Ash had yet to see, though Misty called it a Poliwag.

Jessie, James and Meowth backed up a bit, worried.

"Hang on, dat ain't fair!" protested Meowth "Yer playin' six on two. How're we s'posed to fight ya like dis?"

"You want to steal our Pokémon from us," said Misty "That gives us no reason to fight fair."

"The girly twerp does have a point, Jessie," said James.

"Then we won't fight fair either," said Jessie "Ekans, use Dig."

"Koffing, use Smokescreen," ordered James.

Jessie's Ekans, a purple snake-like Pokémon reared up before launching itself towards the ground, burying itself beneath the soil in a matter of moments. Koffing meanwhile emitted a large amount of black smoke that quickly filled the air, blinding and choking everyone.

Fortunately the wild Pidgeotto was still nearby. It flapped its wings powerfully and kicked up a wind. The Gust attack quickly got rid of the smoke.

Once the air cleared, however, there was no sign of Koffing, or Meowth, or Jessie, or James.

Suddenly the ground cracked and Ekans erupted out of the soil, sending both Caterpie and Nidoran flying. A moment later Koffing dove into the fray and smashed into Staryu with a Tackle attack.

Then Meowth sprang forwards from out of nowhere, claws extended. But before he could land a blow, Pikachu reacted, and Meowth, Ekans and Koffing were on the receiving end of a nasty electrical shock.

The three Pokémon reeled from the damage, but their opponents were not done yet. Mankey's foot delivered a Low Kick to Ekans' body while Nidoran's Horn struck the snake-like Pokémon below the chin.

Poliwag and Staryu both aimed and fired Water Gun attacks at Koffing, sending its flying.

Meowth meanwhile found himself facing Magikarp.

The Scratch Cat Pokémon burst into laughter and asked "And whatta you gonna do, fishy?"

Magikarp answered by delivering a full blown Tackle attack to Meowth's stomach, sending the Pokémon flying into some bushed, where he collided with James, who was hiding there.

As James and Meowth flailed about, Jessie stood up and shouted "Ekans, use Bite!"

Ekans reared up again to attack Nidoran, but the smaller Pokémon jumped back out of harm's way.

Pidgeotto then entered the battle, and struck Ekans with a speedy Quick Attack, knocking the serpentine Pokémon backwards.

Koffing came in for another Tackle, this time aiming for Caterpie.

Ash, however, was ready and called out "Caterpie, use String Shot."

Caterpie spat a long thread of silken string at Koffing, and the poison type Pokémon was quickly enveloped.

"Now use Tackle!" shouted Ash.

Caterpie charged at Koffing and Tackled it.

Koffing was sent flying backwards to smack Ekans in the face.

Nidoran then used a Tackle and Mankey a Low Kick to knock the two Pokémon back to their trainers' sides.

"Time to end this with a bang?" asked Ash.

Misty gave an nod and said "I think so."

Ash turned to Pikachu and called for a Thundershock.

At the same time Misty had Staryu and Poliwag use their Water Gun attacks.

The Team Rocket Trio, plus Ekans and Koffing, was quickly drenched and then a moment later electrocuted. And, as was the case back in the Viridian City Pokémon Centre, the water only intensified the electrical blast. There was a boom and Jessie, James, Meowth, Ekans and Koffing were sent soaring into the sky.

"Foiled again!" cried Meowth.

"It's going to be painful when we land," moaned James.

"What is the boss going to say when he finds out we lost to those same two brats again?" cried Jessie.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

Ash and Misty heard none of this. Being in a forest meant that the explosion had triggered a fire. Fortunately Misty was able to have Staryu and Poliwag put it out.

Ash, meanwhile, had his mind set on finding out more about Misty's third Pokémon.

**Poliwag, the Tadpole Pokémon, **said Ash's Pokédex **It has no arms, but its strong, oar-like tail makes it a very good swimmer. The swirl on its belly is its insides showing through its skin.**

"Well isn't that pleasant?" remarked Ash.

In spite of this rather disgusting feature, the round, blue Poliwag actually seemed rather cute.

"Pika?" exclaimed Pikachu.

Ash looked down at it and asked "What's the matter Pikachu?"

"Pika pi." replied Pikachu, pointing.

Ash turned and saw that Pikachu was pointing to Caterpie. Worryingly the small bug type was shaking.

"Caterpie, what's wrong?" Ash asked as he made his way over to it.

Misty turned to look and smiled before saying "It's alright Ash. There's nothing wrong with Caterpie. It's just evolving."

"Evolving?" Ash asked her before turning his attention back to Caterpie.

Caterpie's body took on an ethereal glow and began to change. It took about a minute, but eventually the glow faded and Caterpie looked completely different. Now it resembles a green cocoon.

**Metapod, the Cocoon Pokémon. It is the evolved form of Caterpie. Like Kakuna, Metapod can move very little. Its hard shell is used to protect itself, and can be hardened further.**

Ash grinned and proclaimed "It's great that you evolved Caterpie- I mean Metapod."

He picked Metapod up and held it out for Pikachu, Nidoran and Mankey to get a better look. Even Staryu, Poliwag and Magikarp came over to get a look, but Misty made sure to maintain her distance.

"Ash," she called out to him "Wasn't there something you were intending to do this morning?"

Ash gave her a puzzled look, at which Misty simply pointed to a tree.

Ash turned and saw that there, sitting on a low branch, was the wild Pidgeotto.

"Oh yeah," said Ash, setting Metapod down "You ready Pikachu?"

"Pika," replied Pikachu with an eager nod before bounding forwards.

Sensing Ash's desire, Pidgeotto took to the wing and flew towards Pikachu, set on ending things fast with a Quick Attack.

Ash was ready for that and called out "Pikachu, use your Quick Attack too!"

Pikachu sped across the ground before jumping into the air at high speed. The two Pokémon collided in mid-air. Pidgeotto spiralled downwards a bit before righting itself. Pikachu landed on the ground and turned to face Pidgeotto again, only to get a face full of a Sand Attack.

Pidgeotto then swooped in and slammed into Pikachu with another Quick Attack.

Just as it was turning in the air for another go, Ash shouted out for a Thundershock.

Pikachu unleashed a blast of electricity which zapped Pidgeotto.

Ash seized his chance. He snatched up an empty pokéball and threw it. Pidgeotto vanished inside and was caught.

Ash picked up the pokéball and held it up "Yes! My fifth Pokémon!"

"Pi Pikachu!" shouted Pikachu in equal cheer.

Misty shook her head fondly. He might be rash and stubborn at times, but there was no denying that her new friend was well-intentioned, warm-hearted and really did love Pokémon. Maybe it would be worth waiting around for a new bike. Having Ash Ketchum in your life certainly made things interesting!

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long. Hope this chapter makes up for it. If anyone feels that Ash is getting too many Pokémon too fast, don't worry. This is the last capture he'll be making until after his battle at the Cerulean City Gym (though obviously Metapod will evolve into Butterfree soon). **

**If anyone is wondering, Doug is a trainer battled in Viridian Forest in the games. Obviously he isn't named in the Gen 1 games but their remakes call him Doug. He owns two Weedle and a Kakuna - not varied enough for the story so I gave him Paras and Venonat instead of the Weedle.**

**Speaking of the Cerulean City Gym, I have decided to tweak the characters of Misty's sisters a bit. I never liked that the Cerulean Gym was run by people who just didn't seem to care, so I have made a change. Daisy is the Gym Leader, and does actually care. Her airhead personality will be put on to put trainers off guard, but Daisy will be a very tough Gym Leader to beat. Lily and Violet will be the same. I chose to make Daisy a decent Gym Leader because she is the one shown to be most caring towards Misty and the one most involved with the Gym (at least in the Chronicles series) and I also wanted Misty to have someone she wanted to be like, someone to look up to. This is a part of expanding her character a little.**

**Also having some thoughts on Ash's dad. Should I introduce him?**


	6. Challenge of the Samurai

**Here's the next episode, featuring the second part of the journey through the Viridian Forest. It's essentially the plot of the fourth episode of the anime - "Challenge of the Samurai" – but I have tried to put in a few changes.**

* * *

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 6: Challenge of the Samurai

The silence of the forest was broken by the sounds of two Pokémon fiercely fighting it out as Ash Ketchum engaged in a Pokémon battle with a female trainer named Stacey.

Stacey's chosen Pokémon, a male Nidoran, hit the ground with a thud.

"Oh, Nidoran!" she exclaimed worriedly as Ash called for the finishing blow.

"Okay, Mankey," he said "Use Low Kick to end this."

The fighting type Pokémon charged and delivered a powerful kick to the already exhausted Nidoran. Unable to take any more, the poison pin Pokémon fainted.

Stacey recalled her Pokémon and sent out another. This one was a female Nidoran.

Deciding to go for a change, Ash recalled Mankey to its pokéball and turned to Pikachu.

"Are ya ready buddy?" he asked.

"Pika!" replied Pikachu eagerly before running out to face off against Nidoran.

"Use a Tackle attack, Nidoran," ordered Stacey.

"Counter it with a Quick Attack, Pikachu," said Ash.

The two Pokémon charged at each other, with Pikachu moving much quicker. He proved to be the stronger of the two as well, barely feeling the attack from his opponent as the Nidoran went crashing head over heels backwards.

"Now use Thundershock," ordered Ash.

With a shout, Pikachu unleashed a pulse of electrical energy from his body and electrocuted Nidoran.

Like the male before it, Nidoran could take no more and fainted.

"And that's another win for me," said Ash happily as Stacey recalled her fainted Pokémon to its pokéball and stormed off in a huff.

"Ash," said Misty from behind him "you've been battling all morning. Perhaps we should stop for lunch."

As if agreeing with her, Ash's stomach rumbled loudly.

Ash laughed embarrassedly and commented "Yeah, I guess I could go for something to eat."

They set themselves up to have a picnic lunch as Ash continued to brag.

"That's six trainers in a row that me and my Pokémon have beaten. Next time we bump into Gary he won't know what hit him! I'll show him. I'm gonna be the greatest trainer ever."

"Pi Pikachu," said Pikachu by way of agreement.

"Don't get over confident," Misty told him "You had some easy wins, that's all. The trainers around here aren't very tough."

"You saying I only won those battles because they were easy?" demanded Ash.

"All I'm saying is that the trainers you have encountered so far have been at around the same skill level as you. Pretty soon someone is going to come along who has had much more practice at battling than you have. If you get too over confident they'll beat you just as easily as you beat those trainers before."

"I'm not over confident," retorted Ash.

"Oh you're not?" asked Misty "Then what are you?"

"I have faith in my team," replied Ash "I know that they can pull through in any situation."

"It's not enough to just have faith," said Misty "You have to know and acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses."

"I know their strengths and weaknesses," said Ash "Pikachu is an electric type, which makes him great against water and flying type Pokémon will give him big trouble. Pidgeotto is a flying type and can easily beat bug-"

"I'm not talking about type advantages," replied Misty "I'm talking about their own actual strengths. You said Pikachu being an electric type makes it good against water types and I agree. If you and I were to battle then Pikachu would knock out my entire team within minutes. But what you need to realise is that out there somewhere there are trainers who have a water type Pokémon on their team that they have had and trained with for so long that Pikachu wouldn't stand a chance against them."

Ash stood up and growled "What do you know?" before turning and walking away.

Misty got up and followed him, calling after him "I know that while type advantage is important it is not the only thing you need to take into account."

"Leave me alone," said Ash, turning in a different direction.

"Why are you being so stubborn?" demanded Misty "I'm only trying to help you."

"Yeah, right," mumbled Ash before turning again.

He did not get far, because he found his way blocked by one of the strangest people he had ever seen. It was a boy about his age, who was wearing a full samurai costume, and was carrying both a sword and a bug catcher's net.

"Are you the trainer who is so easily defeating everyone else in this forest?" the boy asked.

"Uh, yeah. That's me," replied Ash.

"Finally, a worthy adversary," said the boy "I am the Samurai of Viridian Forest and I challenge you to a Pokémon battle."

His argument with Misty was quickly forgotten about as the excitement at the prospect of another battle kicked in "Alright, you're on!"

"Two on two alright with you?" asked Samurai.

"That's fine," replied Ash.

"Ash, your Pokémon are tired," said Misty "you should let them rest."

He ignored her and instead took out a pokéball "Metapod, I choose you!"

He threw the pokéball and it snapped open to send Metapod out onto the battlefield.

"An interesting choice," said Samurai, taking out a pokéball of this all "Very well, I shall counter your Metapod with my own. Go!"

He threw his pokéball and a second Metapod appeared.

"Alright," said Ash "Let's get this started. Metapod, use Tackle."

Slowly and awkwardly, Ash's Metapod made its way over to the other Metapod.

Ash looked surprised and asked "What happened to your speed Metapod?"

"Ash, Metapod is a cocoon," said Misty "They can barely move."

Samurai had plenty of time to order his attack "Metapod, use Harden."

At the order, the body of Samurai's Metapod seemed to go rigid. Well, more rigid that it already was.

Ash's Metapod finally reached the other and bumped into it without much force at all.

"Oh man," muttered Ash.

"Metapod, use Harden again," ordered Samurai.

The second Metapod's body seemed to become even more rigid.

"Wait," said Ash suddenly "can your Metapod only use Harden?"

"Yeah," replied Samurai "I caught it as a Metapod and they can't know Tackle. I guess yours evolved from a Caterpie, huh?"

"Er… yeah," replied Ash "Why are you using it if it only knows Tackle? It stands no chance of beating mine."

"It's all good practice," replied Samurai "And eventually yours is going to wear itself out and start hurting itself as well."

"Alright," said Ash "Metapod, use Tackle."

"Harden, Metapod."

"This is gonna take a while," said Misty.

"Pika pika." said Pikachu with a nod of agreement.

_**- A long, long, long time later-**_

"Metapod use Tackle once more," said Ash.

"Harden again Metapod."

Ash's Metapod landed a feeble blow to the other and it fainted.

"Finally," sighed Misty as Samurai recalled his Metapod to its pokéball.

Samurai chuckled and said "Very well. You may have gotten the better of Metapod, but now I shall show you the true power to the bug type Pokémon."

At those words he took a second pokéball and threw it "Go, Pinsir!"

The Pokémon that appeared from the pokéball was large, not far off of being five feet in height. Its body was segmented and brown in colour. It stood on two stumpy legs and had two long, clawed arms. It had a large mouth that opened horizontally rather than vertically, and by far the most noticeable feature were the two large white horns that grew out of the top of its head. The horns curved inwards and were dotted with many small spikes.

Misty's fear of bug types easily got the better of her and she ran and hid behind a tree.

Ash took out his Pokédex to find out more.

**Pinsir, the Stag Beetle Pokémon. This fearsome Pokémon grabs its opponents with his massive horns and squeezes them. If that fails they use their immense strength to throw the opponent Pokémon about.**

"Sounds pleasant," said Ash, pocketing his Pokédex "Alright Metapod, use Tackle."

Metapod began to wriggle forwards.

"Pinsir, use Take Down," ordered Samurai.

Pinsir charged forwards at a speed Metapod could not even dream of achieving. It rammed into Metapod and sent it soaring through the air to crash on the ground near Misty.

Metapod didn't stand a chance, and Ash recalled it to his pokéball.

He took another and said "Well, if Pinsir's a bug type, then I'll go for type advantage. Pidgeotto, I choose you!"

He threw the pokéball and it snapped open. Pidgeotto flew out of it and swirled upwards towards the sky.

"Pidgeotto, use Gust," Ash shouted up to it.

Pidgeotto turned in the sky and began flapping its wings with rapid and powerful movements. A strong wind quickly picked up and blew towards Pinsir.

Pinsir brought its arms up to shield its eyes, but otherwise it simply took the attack.

"Now use Sand Attack," ordered Ash.

Pidgeotto swooped down towards the ground and kicked up sand and dirt, splattering Pinsir with it.

"Now try a Quick Attack!" said Ash.

Pidgeotto suddenly rocketed forwards at high speed, intending to ram into Pinsir.

"Grab it," said Samurai.

Pinsir lowered its head and opened its horns wide. Before Pidgeotto could dodge, the flying type Pokémon found itself caught between them.

"Now use Vicegrip," ordered Samurai.

Pinsir's two horns locked together and squeezed Pidgeotto tightly.

"Pidgeotto," Ash shouted worriedly "try and escape."

Pidgeotto struggled frantically, but it was in vain.

"Finish this with Seismic Toss," said Samurai.

Pinsir's horns released Pidgeotto, but the arms grabbed it before it could get away.

Pinsir then swung Pidgeotto around several times before letting go. Dizzy and disoriented, Pidgeotto sailed through the air and collided with a tree. The flying type slid down the trunk and came to rest in a heap between the roots.

"Looks like I win," said Samurai as a worried Ash raced over to Pidgeotto to check if it was alright.

But he never got that far.

The tree that Pidgeotto had crashed into had apparently contained a large group of resting Kakuna. The impact must have knocked them loose, for a good number of the fell from the tree. Silken lined prevented them from crashing onto the ground, but they were more than a little bit annoyed at the interruption to their rest.

And so were the other occupants of the tree.

Not so fortunate were the small brown caterpillar like Pokémon that fell with the Kakuna. More than a dozen of them hit the floor. Each one of these Pokémon had a nasty looking point on the top of the head.

These Pokémon were far more manoeuvrable than Kakuna, and as soon as they had righted themselves, they began to move towards Pidgeotto, intending to attack the fainted Pokémon.

Ash quickly recalled Pidgeotto to its pokéball, and then took out his Pokédex to find out more about the new Pokémon.

**Weedle, the Hairy Bug Pokémon. It is often found in forests eating leaves. It had a sharp stinger on its head, which is poisonous. Its bright body colour is intended to put off enemies.**

"They don't look happy," said Misty.

"We can deal with them," said Ash, taking two pokéballs "Nidoran, Mankey, help up out. You to Pikachu."

Pikachu bounded forwards as Nidoran and Mankey both appeared from their respective pokéballs.

"Ash, your Pokémon have been in a lot of battles recently," said Misty "Are you sure that they'll manage."

"We'll be fine," replied Ash "But if you're that worried, send out your Pokémon."

"Right," said Misty.

Moments later Staryu, Poliwag and Magikarp were in place to join the battle.

"Alright," said Ash "Pikachu, use Quick Attack, Nidoran use Horn Attack, Mankey use Low Kick."

Misty joined in "Staryu and Magikarp use Tackle. Poliwag, hold back."

Five of the six Pokémon charged forwards towards the Weedle, but suddenly found their way blocked. As one the Kakuna had lowered themselves to the ground, forming a blockade. Each use used Harden to take as little damage from the group's attacks.

Each of the Weedle then jumped into the air, over the heads of the Kakuna and aimed their stingers at the attackers.

"Poliwag use Bubble," commanded Misty.

Poliwag opened its mouth and emitted a flurry of bubbles which shot towards the oncoming group of Weedle and began popping in their faces. They fell to the ground.

"Time to end this," said Ash "Pikachu, use Thundershock."

"Staryu and Poliwag use Water Gun," ordered Misty.

Water and electricity quickly combined to deliver a powerful shock to the attacking bugs. The Pokémon quickly retreated, the Kakuna drawing themselves up their silken threads back to the branches above, and the group of Weedle scurrying frantically back up the thick trunk of the tree.

"Ha!" laughed Ash "See Misty? I told ya that we could handle it."

Misty crossed her arms and scowled at him. Then her eyes widened in surprise and asked "What's that buzzing sound?"

It was coming from the branches of the tree.

A bug Pokémon, resembling a wasp flew out of the leafy canopy.

Ash took out his Pokédex again.

**Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon. This Pokémon is the evolved form of Kakuna. It flies at speed and attacks using the large venomous stings on its forelegs and tail. It usually attacks in swarms.**

"Swarms?" asked Misty worriedly.

"There must be more," said Ash as he pocketed his Pokédex.

He was right. Another five Beedrill joined the first, and as one they attacked. Pikachu, Mankey, Nidoran, Magikarp, Poliwag and Staryu were all struck hard by the first blow. As the bug types swooped around to attack again, they themselves were struck with a hard blow.

Samurai's Pinsir had hit the swarm with a Take Down.

"Those were only scouts for the rest of the swarm," said Samurai as the six Beedrill turned and flew away "They're going to alert the rest of the colony. We've got to get out of here. Come on."

The three trainers recalled their Pokémon to their pokéballs, with Pikachu scrambling up onto Ash's shoulder. Then they turned and ran.

A loud buzzing began in the distance behind them. The noise grew louder and louder until a swarm of a good thirty Beedrill were flying above them.

"Through here," shouted Samurai, and he led them through a narrow gap between some trees.

Ash was the last one through, and did not notice a pokéball slipping from his belt as he pushed his way between the two thick trunks.

On the other side of the trees there was a small wooden cabin. Samurai ran ahead and wrenched the door open.

"Get in!" he shouted "Quick."

Ash, Misty and Pikachu dove inside. Samurai followed and slammed the wooden door shut, just in time for the lead Beedrill to collide with it.

"Everyone okay?" asked Samurai.

"I think so," said Misty wearily.

"Pika pi." replied and equally weary Pikachu.

"That was lucky," said Ash "Misty, you got any potions left? I think we should heal our Pokémon."

Misty gave a nod of agreement and opened her red bag.

Ash began taking his pokéballs from his belt, but did not find enough.

"Hang on," he said as realisation began to sink in "Oh no!"

"What is it?" asked Misty, looking up.

"Metapod's pokéball," he replied "It's gone!"

Samurai shook his head and said "This wouldn't have happened if you were more responsible."

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Ash "This wouldn't have happened if your Pinsir hadn't thrown my Pidgeotto into that tree in the first place."

"Those Beedrill could have been easily defeated if you ever allowed your Pokémon to rest," replied Samurai "I saw them. Pikachu, Mankey and Nidoran were all exhausted even before you sent them out against that group of Weedle. And now you've gone and lost your Metapod."

"I don't have to stay here and listen to this," said Ash, heading towards the door.

"Where are you going?" demanded Misty.

"To find my Metapod," replied Ash.

"Don't open that door!" shouted Samurai, but it was too late.

One of the Beedrill drive bombed towards the door as Samurai grabbed Ash around the middle and threw them both to the floor. Pikachu unleashed a Thundershock which was enough to convince the Beedrill to retreat, and Misty then got up and slammed the door shut before any more Beedrill tried to get in.

"You stupid fool," spat Samurai. He got up, went over to the hammock that hung in the far corner and got into it. He said nothing for the rest of the night.

Ash retreated to the opposite corner. He too said nothing.

Misty and Pikachu exchanged worried looks.

* * *

Early the next morning the door to the cabin eased open slightly, and Ash slipped out.

He looked around but did not see any of the Beedrill about. He assumed that they had gone.

He did not get far from the cabin when a lone Beedrill attacked. He had just grabbed Nidoran's pokéball in order to battle it when a series of small round balls of fire shot through the air and hit the Beedrill. This was immediately followed by several blue coloured electrical sparks.

The Beedrill dropped to the ground, twitching.

"Go pokéball," shouted a voice that Ash recognised.

A pokéball hit Beedrill and the bug/poison type Pokémon vanished inside. Capture complete it returned to the hand of the trainer who threw it.

Ash turned and saw that the trainer had two Pokémon with him. One was a Charmander, and the other was a Pikachu.

"You alright Ash?" the trainer asked.

Ash grinned and replied "All the better for seeing you, Ritchie."

"So what brings you out here at this time of the morning?"

Ash explained about the events of the day before, including how he lost the pokéball containing his Metapod.

"Well that's just plain bad luck," said Ritchie "Tell ya what, I'll help ya find your Metapod."

"You will?" asked Ash "Great."

"Happy to help," said Ritchie "Right Charmander and Pikachu?"

"Char Charmander," replied the orange lizard-like fire type.

"Pi Pikachu," added the Pikachu.

"So where do you think you were when you lost it?" asked Ritchie.

Ash pointed off towards the trees "Over there. We had to squeeze through a narrow gap and I think Metapod's pokéball might have gotten loose there."

"Let's go then," said Ritchie, and the pair headed off.

By the gap in the trees they saw no sign of Metapod's pokéball.

"The ground slopes away slightly," observed Ritchie "It's possible that Metapod's pokéball simply rolled away downhill."

"Then we'd better go after it," said Ash, pushing himself through the gap and making to head down the hill.

Suddenly there was a buzzing sound. Ash and Ritchie both turned to see three Beedrill flying towards them. Ritchie was quick off the mark.

"Charmander, use Ember. Pikachu, back it up with Thunder Wave."

Charmander swung its tail around and a collection of small fireballs left the flame on the end. They soared through the air and struck two of the oncoming Beedrill. Meanwhile Pikachu released a series of electrical sparks which struck the third Beedrill.

All three Beedrill turned and flew away.

"Come on," said Ash "They'll have gone to alert the rest of the swarm."

"Right," said Ritchie, and they set off down the hill.

* * *

"Ash!" Misty shouted through the open door "Ash! Where are you?"

"Pika pi!" shouted Pikachu.

"We will have to go out and find them," said Samurai "Here, get under this."

He had a wooden frame over which hung a large net. Misty and Pikachu got beneath it and they headed off in search of Ash.

* * *

"Is this it?" asked Ritchie, standing up from the tall grass he had been searching through.

Ash came over and examined the pokéball he was holding.

"Yeah, that's Metapod's alright," he said, taking it.

He opened the pokéball, but nothing came out.

"Metapod's gone," said Ash.

Ritchie looked around, saying "It can't have gone far."

Ash looked around as well, and spotted something near the base of a tree.

"Over there!" he shouted, and began to make his way forwards.

However at that moment the rest of the Beedrill swarm arrived.

"I'll draw them off," shouted Ritchie "You get Metapod."

"But-" Ash tried to protest.

"Just do it," replied Ritchie. He turned and shouted "Hey! Beedrill! Over here!"

The Beedrill turned towards him as Ash ran and ducked behind a tree.

Ritchie's Charmander and Pikachu knocked out several of the Beedrill with ease, but the swarm kept coming.

"Get Metapod!" Ritchie shouted and he and his two Pokémon retreated uphill.

Seizing his chance, Ash ran for Metapod and got to it.

"Sorry you got left behind Metapod," he said, picking it up "I didn't mean for it to happen. You just got lost in all the confusion."

Metapod gave a very slight movement which Ash took to be a nod of acceptance.

"Come on," said Ash "Let's get you out of here."

* * *

Ritchie and his two Pokémon were running up the hill now. Two of the Beedrill dive-bombed them but missed. Charmander then got one with an Ember attack, and Pikachu got the other with a Thunder Wave.

A voice shouted "Ritchie, over here!"

He turned and looked. Seeing the owner of the voice he shouted out "Samurai" and ran towards him.

Under the safety of the net Ritchie said "Boy, am I glad to see you."

"You know each other?" asked Misty.

"Of course," replied Samurai "Ritchie is one of the four trainers from Pallet Town. I battled with Ritchie and the other two. That is why I sought out Ash."

"You know Ash?" asked Ritchie.

"Yeah, have you seen him?" asked Misty.

"Down at the base of the hill," replied Ritchie "We found his Metapod there. I drew off the swarm so Ash could get to it."

Above them the swarm was turning around and heading back down hill, having realised that they could not get at those protected by the net.

"Then we must go," said Samurai "Ash is about to be in a whole lot of trouble."

* * *

Ash heard the buzzing and saw the swarm coming back towards him.

"Not again," he muttered. He shifted Metapod in his arms and tried reaching for his other pokéballs but the lead Beedrill knocked him flat on his back before he could get to them.

Metapod still held in his arms, Ash sat up and look up towards the swarm above him.

From somewhere nearby he heard Misty's voice shout "Ash look out!" but before he could fully register it, he was blinded by a brilliant light.

Squinting his eyes from the light, Ash looked towards Metapod and saw its shape changing. The long hard shell broke away and dissolved to nothing. Two large wings emerged, followed by two smaller ones. There was a round head adorned with two antennae, a round body and two long oval shaped feet.

Once the glow faded, Ash saw that the body and head were purple in colour. The feet were a light blue, as were the two small hands. Two large groups of compound eyes appeared to be red, and the wings were white, with a few black markings.

This Pokémon now resembles a butterfly.

Ash pulled his Pokédex from his pocket.

**Butterfree, the Butterfly Pokémon is the final form of Caterpie. The scales covering its wings are waterproof, allowing it to fly in the rain. The wings can also spread powder-like substances, which can be used to weaken opponents.**

"Wow," exclaimed Ash "Metapod evolved into Butterfree."

The Beedrill swarm was unmoved by this turn of events and dive-bombed towards Ash and Butterfree.

Ash was ready "Butterfree, use Stun Spore."

Butterfree took flight and faced the Beedrill swarm. Then he waved his elegant wings and released a cloud of orange dust which covered the Beedrill.

The swarm stopped its attack, momentarily paralyzed.

"Now get rid of them with Confusion!" said Ash.

Butterfree's large red eyes began to glow in a shade of light blue. The glow spread throughout Butterfree's body and then travelled through the air, enveloping the entire Beedrill swarm. The Beedrill all fought against the power but could not escape it.

After a few moments, Butterfree stopped the attack and the entire swarm fled.

"Alright Butterfree!" Ash cheered as Misty, Samurai, Ritchie and Pikachu ran towards the two of them.

"Ash that was so cool," said Ritchie.

"Indeed," agreed Samurai "The power displayed by your Butterfree was certainly most impressive."

"Beautiful too," added Misty.

Ash looked at her in surprise and asked "But Misty, I thought that you didn't like but Pokémon."

"I don't," replied Misty "But I think that I can make an exception for this one."

In response to this Butterfree landed on Misty's shoulder and rubbed its head against hers affectionately, getting a giggle out of the girl.

"So now that you've got Butterfree back," said Ritchie "what are you planning to do now?"

"Well my aim was to get to the Pokémon gym in Pewter City," replied Ash.

Samurai nodded "A noble goal. If you wish to get to Pewter City, then you are best off following the path in that direction," he pointed up the hill "Keep to the path, and you will find yourself in Pewter City by sundown."

"Great, thanks," said Ash "How about you Ritchie? Planning on challenging the Pewter City gym?"

"I've been there already," replied Ritchie "But my Pokémon weren't ready to face the gym leader. I'm gonna stick around the forest for another couple of days and see if I can make them stronger before I face the gym again."

"Ash, we'd better get going if you want to get to Pewter City before dark," said Misty.

"Right," agreed Ash "See you guys around."

"See ya, Ash," said Ritchie.

"Farewell, young trainer," added Samurai.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu took their leave, having come through a dangerous adventure all the stronger, and with friendships improved.

* * *

**A/N: So how was that? Metapod evolved to Butterfree, yay. You'll notice that I gave Ritchie a Beedrill instead of a Butterfree. I will be giving another important trainer a Butterfree instead a very special Butterfree, and from that I hope that some of you will be able to work out just where that is going.**

**It seems highly fitting that I chose to upload this chapter today, given the Pokémon news I encountered earlier. A Japanese magazine (I think it's called Corocoro or something like that) has recently been released. For those of you who don't know, it's a go-to thing for news about upcoming releases of new games, cards and anime episodes. According to a scan of the magazine that I saw, there is to be a new arc in the anime starting soon. There were various pictures giving hints as to the contents of various episodes, and one of them showed Ash with a Butterfree that he seemed to be talking too. The evidence is no more concrete than that, but suffice to say, if that Butterfree is not Ash's then I shall be one very unhappy Pokémon fan. I dearly hope that it is, and I hope even more that Ash reclaims it.**

**If you are interested in seeing the scan, go to the main page of Bulbapedia and follow the ling in the BulbaNewsNOW section. It's the link by the bit talking about the return of Clair and a shiny Druddigon. But be warned, there are other spoilers. Like Ash and Iris are going to battle.**

**Trivia for this chapter - The girl that Ash is battling at the beginning is a reference to Pokemon Yellow, where a Lass appears in the Viridian Forest and owns a Nidoran of both genders. As she has never been seen there again, her name comes from HeartGold and SoulSilver, where there is a Bug Catcher in the forest called Stacey who uses three Metapod leveled at 52, 56 and 60. I never knew that Stacey could be a boys name, but there you go.**

**Second piece of trivia - In the episode that featured Samurai his Pinsir used only one move that was given a name, and that was Tackle, which Pinsir has never been able to learn in the games. To remove this error, and make Pinsir seem strong, I gave it Take Down, which it could learn by using TM09 on it in Generation 1. Why can't we have that TM back?**


	7. Fossil Pokemon at the Pewter Museum

**Sorry for the delay. I had to reassess how I was going to do this next bit. I knew that I wanted to pad out the group's time in Pewter City by adding in a trip to the Museum, so their time in Pewter City was going to extend to two episodes, as opposed to the one episode in the anime. However plans have been altered a little bit, and now they will spend three episodes in Pewter City. To give you an idea of how this matches up with the anime as it appeared on screen, the "Clefairy and the Moon Stone" episode was episode six. For this story it will be episode eleven.**

* * *

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 7: Fossil Pokémon at the Pewter Museum

Finally the trees thinned out and after what seemed like forever, Ash, Misty and Pikachu exited Viridian Forest.

They passed by an area of tall grass and climbed up onto a rock.

"There it is," said Misty, pointing ahead "Pewter City."

She was right. Just up ahead were the first buildings of Pewter City, a small and quiet city nestled between mountains and rocks.

With a great sigh of relief, Ash sat down on the rock and commented "Thank goodness. I thought I was going to be wandering around that forest for the rest of my life."

"We should find the Pokémon centre," said Misty "You'll need to rest your Pokémon there before you can challenge the gym."

"Oh, are you planning on challenging the gym?" asked a voice.

Ash and Misty looked over the side of the rock to see a man standing there. He was holding a pickaxe and there was a wheelbarrow filled with stones next to him.

"Uh, yeah," replied Ash, sounding unsure of talking to this man.

"Excellent," said the man "My name is Flint, and my son Brock is the gym leader there."

"Really?" asked Ash "That's great."

"It is," replied Flint "but I'm afraid that Brock is not currently at the gym."

Ash's shoulders sagged "He's not."

"Then where is he?" asked Misty.

"He's studying over at the Pewter City Museum," said Flint "Tell you what, you get your Pokémon healed up at the Pokémon centre and then come over to the museum and I'll introduce you to him."

"Sounds like a plan," said Misty as she grabbed Ash by the hand "Come on, you."

Once within the city, they made their way along a narrow street that led towards the Pokémon centre.

Along the way they passed by a good few shop windows. Aside from the usual shops that sold things like food, clothing, toys and electronic devices, there seemed to be a fair few shops that specialised in selling rare stones, jewels and even fossils. It seemed that rocks and stones were an integral part of the way of life of the people of Pewter City.

Ash failed to see what was so interesting.

They found the Pokémon centre and went inside.

Ash came to a complete stand still.

"Ash, move it," said Misty hotly "you're blocking the way."

When Ash still did not move, Misty pushed past him roughly and then spun around to face him and asked "What's with you?"

Ash said nothing in response, and instead he merely pointed to the reception desk in front of them.

Misty turned to look, frowned, then turned back to Ash and demanded "What?"

"That's Nurse Joy," said Ash in reference to the pink haired woman who was standing behind the reception desk.

"Yeah, so?" asked Misty.

"So Nurse Joy was working in Viridian City," said Ash "Why is she in Pewter City?"

"Ash, they're not the same person," said Misty "They're all called Nurse Joy because "Joy" is their surname. You know, like how Ketchum is yours and Waterflower is mine."

Ash looked at her funny and asked "Your last name is Waterflower?"

"Yes, you dummy," replied Misty "I told you that back in Viridian City."

"I don't think you did," said Ash "And that's not the point. You explained how they have the same name, but why do they look exactly the same?"

"How should I know?" asked Misty, turning away from him and heading towards the reception desk "Didn't you ever hear of identical twins before?"

"Huh," muttered Ash "Well, I guess that explains it."

With that he joined Misty at the reception desk, where Nurse Joy happily informed them that the Nurse Joy in Viridian City was her slightly older by a few minutes twin sister, before accepting the two trainers' pokéballs, and Pikachu.

With their Pokémon in good hands, Ash and Misty retreated to the rest area, where Ash treated to lunch from the cafeteria and both trainers got a little rest. Both also made sure to make use of the shower room facilities, and a quick splash of water from a stream or a blast of a Water Gun attack from Misty's Staryu or Poliwag could only do so much to keep you clean, and left a lot to be desired.

A short while later the clean, fed and rested duo returned to the reception desk and collected their freshly healed Pokémon from Nurse Joy, and then they exited the Pokémon centre.

After consulting a sign displaying a map of the city, Ash, Misty and Pikachu ventured north, where they found the museum.

It was a very big building, with large windows set into its grey walls. The high, sloping roof was covered in reddish ceramic tiles.

A large sign over the doors read "Pewter Museum of Science."

"I hate museums," said Ash "They're so boring."

"Oh, just come on," said Misty, grabbing him by the forearm and dragging him towards the building.

Ash, Misty and Pikachu entered through the large double doors and found themselves faced with a reception desk, above which, hanging from the ceiling there was a skeleton of a large, winged Pokémon with a long tail that ended in a point shaped like an elongated arrow head. Two spiked jutted backwards out of the skull, the tip of the long top jaw was bent downwards in a hook-like shape, like the break of a bird, but the bottom law contained nasty looking teeth that resembled the blade of a saw.

"And what on earth is that?" asked Ash, pointing to the skeleton.

"That's Aerodactyl," said the young brown haired woman sitting behind the reception desk "It's a prehistoric Pokémon that is not found alive today, having died out millions of years ago."

"Huh," muttered Ash "I guess that's kind of cool. You got any other skeletons like that here?"

"Oh yes," replied the woman behind the reception desk "the Pewter Museum of Science holds the largest collection of Pokémon fossils that are on display for the public to view in the whole of the Kanto region."

"Great," said Ash "Let's check them out."

He took a couple of steps forwards, but the receptionist held out a hand to stop him.

He gave her a puzzled look, to which she merely smiled and said "There's an entrance fee of fifty Pokémon dollars if you want to go any further."

Ash huffed and muttered "Fine," as he took his wallet out of his pocket and took out fifty Pokémon dollars.

"So nice of you to pay for me as well, Ash," commented Misty, walking forwards.

"He didn't," said the receptionist "It's fifty Pokémon dollars _each._"

"Say what?" demanded Misty before turning to look at Ash.

He shook his head and said "Don't look at me, I treated to lunch."

"Oh," grumbled Misty before she swung her red bag off of her shoulder and opening it to find her purse.

One Misty had pair her entrance fee they were allowed to explore the rest of the museum. Immediately behind the reception area there was a small information sign detailing about what was known about the prehistoric Aerodactyl.

It read _Aerodactyl, the Fossil Pokémon. The teeth strongly suggest that it was a carnivore, which used its bladed teeth to saw through the flesh of its prey. Surprisingly, coprolites (fossilised animal droppings) that are associated with Aerodactyl had been found to contain evidence of fruit matter, suggesting that Aerodactyl was, at least on occasion, omnivorous (meaning that it ate both meat and plants.) DNA samples taken from Aerodactyl fossils tell us that it was a Rock/Flying type Pokémon. It appears to have flown by spreading its wings and gliding. It is not known why Aerodactyl became extinct._

"It used its bladed to saw through the flesh of its prey." Misty read "Well I'm glad it's not around anymore. Can you imagine being bitten by one?"

"It looks pretty cool though," commented Ash "I bet most trainers would run away from you if you sent one out into battle. Might be a good way to send Team Rocket packing and make sure that they never bother us again."

"Provided you could control it," said Misty "I don't like the idea of being the one to let one out of its pokéball and then for it to go on a rampage."

Ash laughed and said "Yeah, I don't think it'd be a good idea to lose control of a big scaly lizard with huge wings, sharp claws and huge teeth. A guy could get hurt."

"Pika," said Pikachu sagely as he nodded in agreement.

"Aha, there you are."

Ash, Misty and Pikachu all turned and saw that Flint was walking towards them.

"I see you've taken in the spectacular sight of the Aerodactyl skeleton," Flint continued "It really is the pride and joy of this museum. If you follow me, I can show you a few more fossils."

They agreed and followed Flint over to another exhibit. This one was a fossil of a large Pokémon that stood on two legs, and seemed to have large blades extending from its arms.

"This is a skeleton of a Kabutops," explained Flint "It was a rock and water type Pokémon that lives around the same time as Aerodactyl. Its body shape made it a good swimmer, but the style of its legs show that it could also move around relatively easily on land. The claws were used to tear apart its prey."

He led then to another fossil, this one smaller and looked like little more than a dome with a pair of dimples in it.

"This is Kabuto. It is the pre-evolved form of Kabutops. Fossilised track ways that are associated with this animal suggest that, although it spent most of its time in the sea, it crawled up onto the beaches of its time and laid its eggs in the sand. Fragments of Kabuto fossils have been found with Aerodactyl skeletons in the past, suggesting that Aerodactyl hunted them when they came ashore."

Next was a display on the wall. It was a large slab of rock, buried into which were three fossils rather like snail shells, but much bigger. All three were ribbed, and one, larger than the other two, had a series of spikes running in a line.

"These," said Flint "Are Omanyte and their evolved form, Omastar. Like Kabuto and Kabutops they are water and rock types. Each of the sections that you see represents a different chamber of the shell. As you should be able to see, each section is slightly larger than the last. This is because as the fleshy body inside the shell grew, a new, larger chamber had to be grown for the animal to live in so that is did not get crushed by its own shell. It is thought that this is why these Pokémon became extinct, they grew too large and this meant that their shells had more chambers, making them heavier and heavier until the Pokémon was unable to hunt its food and died. Omastar was most certainly a predator, but we think Omanyte preferred to drift along feeding on plankton."

"Oh," exclaimed Misty "I would really like to meet a real live Omanyte."

Flint chuckled and commented "Well, you might just be in luck. Come with me, we just got a special delivery from the research laboratories located out on Cinnabar Island."

Ash and Misty exchanged looks before turning and following Flint over to a door that led to a side room. On the other side they met a young man, perhaps only a few (maybe five) years older than Ash. What with the similar face and hair to Flint, there was no mistaking the fact this was clearly his son, Brock.

"Hey Brock," said Flint, confirming Ash and Misty's conclusion about the boy's identity "I've got some trainers here who are interested in our delivery from Cinnabar Island."

Brock chuckled and said "Really? Well that shouldn't be a problem. Step right this way."

On the opposite side of the room, there was an area that was hidden by a big green curtain. Brock led the group over to this and pulled back the curtains.

What they saw was quite a surprise.

There were ten small square tanks sitting on a large wooden table. Each of the tanks was filled with water. And in each tank there sat a Pokémon.

Five were Omanyte and five were Kabuto.

"Oh, wow!" exclaimed Misty, before she ran over to the tanks and gazed adoringly at the Omanyte that resided within.

The Spiral Pokémon's large shell was a pale yellow in colour, and from the large opening at the front there extended ten sky blue coloured tentacles, two bigger than the other, and a pair of eyes, each one like a saucer.

The Kabuto in the next tank appeared to mostly be a brown, dome shaped shell, with two small black eyes on the top, near the front. Then the Pokémon reared up a bit and they got a look at what lay beneath the shell. There was a black body, two red eyes, far larger than those on the shell, and four yellow claw-like limbs.

"How did you get these if they are extinct?" asked Ash as he looked down into Kabuto's tank.

"There are some scientists working in a laboratory on Cinnabar Island," explained Brock "They study Pokémon genetics, studying DNA and mapping genomes. At their request the museum sent them a few fossils to study a few years ago. Surprisingly there was enough material to successfully create the complete genome of Omanyte and Kabuto. And from there they were able to extract enough DNA from the fossils to actually re-create living versions of them."

"That's so cool," said Ash.

"Um, excuse me," said Misty, trying to sound as polite as she possibly could "Do it think it possible that I could maybe please have an Omanyte? Please?"

Flint shook his head and said "I'm sorry but that would not be for us to decide. You would have to ask the head scientist here, though I am fairly certain that I know what his answer would be. The museum was sent six of each Pokémon originally, and a tank is in the final stages of being constructed so that these ones here can go on display to the public. The remaining one of each has been given to Brock. He's a recognised specialist in rock type Pokémon and has been asked to study and train them in order to further the research done by the museum."

"Oh, but I'm a water type specialist," said Misty "And these are both part water types. Couldn't I have one so that they could be studied from a water type specialist's point of view?"

"I don't know," said Brock thoughtfully "My knowledge and speciality in rock type Pokémon is recognised by the Pokémon league and the Pewter Museum. What credentials do you have?"

Misty's shoulders sagged and she replied "None, I guess. But my sister Daisy runs the Cerulean City Gym and she specialised in water type Pokémon."

"Then she might be considered," said a voice from behind them "However you would not."

Ash and Misty turned around to see a tall, grey haired man who was wearing a white lab coat.

"Dr Johnson," said Flint "What a surprise. I thought that you were up at Mt Moon."

"I was," replied Dr Johnson "I have just come back. I left Seymour up there. He is more than capable of handling the hunt for the moon stone alone for the next few days. I have paper work to do."

"Uh, right," said Flint. He turned to Ash and Misty "Right, come on you two. Back to the gallery."

He hurried Ash and Misty out of the room.

"What was all that about?" asked Misty after the door to the side room had been shut.

"Dr Johnson runs a very strict ship," explained Flint "You weren't really supposed to be back there as Dr Johnson does not like the public viewing the research areas. I thought he was still up on Mt Moon, so I snuck you in for a preview of those Pokémon."

"Thanks for giving us the chance to see them," said Ash "But what about my Gym battle with Brock?"

"I think that he is going to be busy for a while yet," said Flint "You may have to wait until tomorrow for that battle. Tell you what, continue looking around this place for a bit, and then come over to our house. My wife cooks a mean pot roast. And you can meet Brock properly over dinner."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, thank you," said Misty gratefully before Ash could think of a good objection.

Flint rubbed his hands together and said "Right, well, I had better go and inform Lola. Our house is on Boulder Avenue, you can't miss it. Not after Lola insisted on installing that large Squirtle fountain outside, anyway."

And with that he left.

"Misty, why did you accept to have dinner with them?" asked Ash once Flint was out of earshot.

"Because it was nice of him to offer, because that's how you meet people, because that's how you make friends and because that's how we are gonna get a free dinner tonight," replied Misty.

"Oh," said Ash "Okay, got it."

The duo and Pikachu explored the museum for a bit longer. As well as Pokémon fossils, the ground floor of the museum was also home to a wide array of other fossils, particularly those of plants. Apparently these told researchers that the land around Pewter City during the time of the likes of Kabutops, Omastar and Aerodactyl was very different to what it was now. Back then the area was more tropical, with large areas of mangrove forests surrounded by sandy beaches and cool, clear ocean.

Ash was quite surprised to learn that back then the land that Pallet Town was built on would have been deep under water.

The upper floor of the museum was dedicated to the study of outer space. There were a collection of rocks that were apparently fragments of a meteorite that had once struck Mt Moon in the distant past.

There was a replica of a space shuttle, which was used by astronauts to enter space. Next to this exhibit there was an old man who happily told them, and anyone else who would listen, that July 20th 1969 was the date when man first set foot on the moon. He also informed them that he bought himself a colour television just to watch it on the news.

Finally the pair grew bored of the museum, having seen everything that there was to see and had since made a second lap around the place, and so left.

As the sun was starting to set they decided that now would be as good a time as any to locate the house of Flint and Brock.

It did not take long to locate Boulder Avenue and from there it really was not all that difficult to locate the house. It really did have a fountain in the front, featuring a ten foot high stone Squirtle that shot water from its mouth.

They knocked on the door and were greeted by Flint who showed them inside. There they were introduced to Brock's siblings.

All nine of them.

Forrest, Salvador, Yolanda, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy and the twins Billy and Tilly.

The phase "Like rabbits" sprang to Misty's mind.

Ash, to whom the Fearows and the Beedrills had not been explained, only wondered how come he was an only child.

Every single one of the children, boy or girl, was like Brock in that they had all inherited his face and spikey hair, though the girls Tilly, Suzie and Yolanda had hair in a different shade of brown. And for some reason Cindy had hair that was more red in colour, leaving a question hanging in the air.

The smell of a delicious dinner drifted into the hallway through an open door to the right, and moments later a woman's voice called them all to dinner.

Lola, the mother of the family, was bright, bubbly and just a tad eccentric. She was not put out in the least at having two more mouths to feed at dinner. On the contrary, she positively welcomed their joining her family.

Ash and Misty quickly discovered that the situation that they were now in was both good and bad. It was good because Flint proved to be correct, and Lola did cook an excellent pot roast dinner. However they were also sharing the dinner table with nine other children, six of whom were under the age of seven.

All it took was little Tilly firing a few peas across the table at her twin brother Billy to start a food fight, and soon Ash and Misty were wearing more food than they had eaten.

It was into this chaos that Brock arrived.

Ash would have preferred to have been properly introduced to a respected Gym Leader without having mashed potato decorating his right cheek and ear, but he supposed he could not have it all his own way. That Brock joined in the food fight before he had even sat down made Ash feel a little better.

Once dinner was over, Lola led the younger kids out of the room to get cleaned up, leaving Ash and Misty in the company of Flint, Brock and Forrest.

"So, Ash," said Brock "I understand that you would like to have a gym battle with me tomorrow."

"I would," said Ash, before voicing something that had been going through his mind for most of the afternoon "And if it's alright with you, I'd like to battle your two fossil Pokémon."

Brock smiled ruefully before saying "I'm afraid that it doesn't quite work like that Ash."

"What do you mean?" asked Ash.

"As a Gym Leader there are certain rules that I have to go by," replied Brock "and one of those rules states that I cannot use my own personal Pokémon in a gym battle."

"How come?" asked Ash.

"Let me put it this way," said Brock "How long have you been training?"

"About two weeks I guess," replied Ash.

"Some of my own Pokémon are ones that I have been training for five years," replied Brock "and they would be too strong for you to face. That is why I use Pokémon that are officially owned by the gym itself for gym battles. I assess the skill level of the trainer making the challenge and adjust which Pokémon I use accordingly. For example, for you, who has not battled at any other gym, I use two gym Pokémon that are lower in experience. Had you faced more gyms before coming to me, I might use four or five Pokémon, based on how strong you are."

"Oh," said Ash before turning to Misty "Is that how it works in your sister's gym too?"

Misty nodded and said "It is. There are many water Pokémon kept at the Cerulean City Gym, and only a few of them actually belong to Daisy. The rest belong to the gym itself, and they only listen to her because she is the gym leader. If she were to leave the gym and someone else took her place, then she would have to leave all of those Pokémon behind for the new leader. And she can only use her own Pokémon for personal battles, not battles for gym badges."

"Well I guess that makes sense," said Ash thoughtfully before turning towards Brock and asking "So I can just come to the gym tomorrow and battle you."

"Not quite," said Brock "First you have to pass a test."

"A test?" asked Ash "What kind of test?"

"That would be a battle with me," replied Forrest, speaking up for the first time.

Flint explained "Ash, most gyms have younger trainers there for you to face. At the Pewter Gym, Brock makes use of Forrest."

"I kind of act like a filter," said Forrest "All trainers have to battle me first, that way Brock ends up facing fewer opponents who stand no chance against him."

"I get it," said Ash "I have to beat you at a Pokémon battle in order to prove myself worthy of challenging the gym leader."

"Exactly," said Brock "Now then, I recommend that you go and get a good night's sleep, as that is the best preparation for tomorrow."

Ash agreed and called for Pikachu, who came wandering out of the kitchen clutching a bottle of tomato ketchup in a loving embrace.

Soon Ash, Misty and Pikachu had returned to the Pokémon centre and books rooms for the night.

Despite his excitement about the following day, the moment Ash's head hit his pillow he was out like a light.

* * *

The next day Ash found himself standing on the battlefield located inside the Pewter City Gym. Under foot the battlefield consisted mostly of sand and small stones, but all across the battlefield large rocks jutted out all over the place.

Misty and Pikachu were standing in Ash's corner, ready to cheer him on. Pikachu was also waiting to be called on to battle. Ash, however, had used his head and done a little research on rock type Pokémon that morning before arriving at the gym. Unless Forrest or Brock threw out one of the fossil Pokémon, Pikachu was not going to be used in this battle, as all other rock type Pokémon that Brock or Forrest might own were also part ground types, which Pikachu stood no chance against.

In the opposite corner, Brock and the rest of his family were gathered, eager to watch Forrest face the gym's challenger.

Forrest was standing on the opposite side of the battlefield to Ash.

Flint stepped up, acting the part of referee for the battle.

"This is a battle to determine the challenger Ash Ketchum's right to face the Pewter City Gym Leader in battle. Both sides may use two Pokémon each. The battle ends when both of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle. Begin."

Forrest chose first, grabbing a pokéball and throwing it out onto the battlefield with a shout of "Go, Sandshrew."

The pokéball snapped open and a small yellow Pokémon that resembled something between an armadillo and a mouse appeared. It was yellow in colour, had armour plates running over most of its body, and the claws on its hands and feet looked very sharp.

Ash took out his Pokédex to learn more about it.

**Sandshrew, the Mouse Pokémon. Sandshrew hates moisture and lives in holes it digs in dry places. It can protect itself by curling into a ball. It may also flick sand about in order to put off attackers.**

Ash frowned and muttered "It's a ground type, so Pikachu really won't be of any use here. So I'll try…"

He took a pokéball from his belt and threw it "Butterfree, I choose you!"

The pokéball snapped open and Butterfree appeared from within, fluttering over the battlefield above Sandshrew.

* * *

**A/N: Seems like a good place to leave this one. I hope that you enjoyed it. Yes, Ash will have to battle several other trainers at each gym before facing the gym leader. It's something from the games that I always thought should be included as I like the idea that you have to beat them in order to prove that the gym leader should accept your challenge.**

**As to the gym leader using gym owned Pokémon to battle rather than their own, that is in response to my disbelief that various gym leaders, especially lower ranking ones, are considered experts in their particular types when they use the Pokémon that they use. How can Brock be considered a rock type expert when all he has is a Geodude and an Onix? How can Falkner be considered a flying type expert when all he uses is a Pidgey and a Pidgeotto? My thinking is based on what happens in the games. The team that Brock used in the generations 1 and 3 games are gym Pokémon that he uses against beginner trainers, the team he uses in generations 2 and 4 are gym Pokémon that he uses against more experienced trainers, and the Pokémon that he uses during the rematches at the fighting dojo in Saffron City are his own. Now obviously I am not going to be giving him those exact Pokémon when he joins Ash on his journey, but his Onix won't be the same one Ash battles at the gym, he will have a Graveler instead of a Geodude, and he will have Kabuto and Omanyte. In reality he would probably have other rock types as well, but I think that that team of four is enough for him to be going on with.**


	8. Rockin' Out at the Pewter Gym

**Good response to the last chapter, everyone who reviewed seems to like how I want to handle the Gyms.**

**In this chapter, Ash thinks that he is ready to face the Pewter City Gym. But is he really ready for such a challenge? Read on to find out!**

* * *

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 8: Rockin' Out at the Pewter Gym

"This battle for the right to face the Pewter City Gym Leader will now begin," announced Flint "Gym trainer Forrest is starting with Sandshrew. The challenger, Ash, is starting with Butterfree. The battle will be two on two, with only the challenger allowed to make substitutions. The battle ends when both of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to continue battling. As the challenger, Ash gets the first move. Begin."

"Alright, Butterfree, start off with Stun Spore," ordered Ash.

The bug type Pokémon beat its scaly wings powerfully and emitted a yellow coloured dust that swept across the battlefield.

"Sandshrew," said Forrest "use Dig to avoid the attack."

In an impressive display of agility, Sandshrew sprang into the air before diving towards the ground. With rapid movements of its clawed forearms the ground type Pokémon quickly burrowed its way into the sandy battlefield.

Butterfree's attack missed its mark completely.

"Alright, Sandshrew, come up," said Forrest.

"Butterfree keep out of its way," ordered Ash.

Butterfree beats its wings and soared higher above the battlefield whilst below it Sandshrew burrowed its way back to the surface.

"Well if Butterfree's Stun Spore won't work, then we'll have to go for a straightforward attack," Ash muttered to himself "Butterfree, use Confusion."

At Ash's command Butterfree's large red eyes began to glow in a shade of light blue. The glow spread throughout Butterfree's body and then travelled through the air, enveloping the opposing Pokémon before it could escape underground again. Sandshrew fought valiantly against the power but could not escape it, and was lifted into the air, where its arms and legs flailed about uselessly.

After a few moments, Butterfree stopped the attack and Sandshrew dropped with a thud to the ground, lying on its front and facing away from Ash and Butterfree.

"Now hit it with your Tackle attack!" shouted Ash eagerly.

Butterfree folded his wings to his side and dived towards Sandshrew.

But Forrest was not fazed in the slightest.

"Sandshrew," he called out to his Pokémon "use Sand Attack."

Even as Butterfree flew in to land its blow, Sandshrew stood up on all fours and used its back limbs to kick backwards powerfully. A cloud of sand and dust from the battlefield filled the air and blasted Butterfree, sending the butterfly Pokémon reeling head over heels backwards.

"Butterfree, no!" Ash shouted in worry.

"Now use Scratch," ordered Forrest.

As Butterfree flailed about in the air, trying desperately to shake off the sand that obscured the vision of his many eyes, Sandshrew turned and sprang towards the bug type.

One swipe of Sandshrew's clawed forelimb was enough to deliver a heavy blow to Butterfree, who was knocked out of the air and crash landed with his back flat against one of the many large boulders that littered the battlefield.

"Butterfree!" Ash called out to his Pokémon "Are you okay?"

"Sandshrew, use another Scratch attack to finish this," ordered Forrest.

Without the need of any further instruction, Sandshrew bounded across the battlefield, quickly closing the distance between it and Butterfree.

The ground type Pokémon jumped into the air, clawed arm raised to deliver the blow.

"Stun Spore, go!" Ash shouted suddenly.

Two quick and powerful beats of each wing was all that it took for Butterfree to send out another cloud of yellow coloured dust. For Sandshrew there was no avoiding it this time. It was far too close to Butterfree for the attack to fail.

Sandshrew fell to the ground without delivering its blow, its body quivering as the paralysing effects of the dust kicked in.

Butterfree flapped his wings to become airborne one again.

"Use Confusion to knock Sandshrew away from you," said Ash.

As before the psychic type attack took quick effect, lifting Sandshrew into the air. But the ground type was not capable of flailing its arms and legs about so much this time.

The psychic aura of the attack seemed to pulse briefly for a moment, and Sandshrew was thrown across half of the battlefield.

"Now finish this with a Tackle attack," shouted Ash, eagerly.

Butterfree performed a quick summersault in mid-air before diving at Sandshrew. The ground type Pokémon had only just managed to stand up on its back legs again when Butterfree crashed into it. Butterfree was fine, but Sandshrew was send tumbling across the battlefield until it came to a stop, sprawled out at an odd angle against a boulder.

Flint called out "Gym trainer Forrest's Sandshrew is unable to continue battling. Challenger Ash and his Butterfree win this round."

Ash let out a joyous whoop as Butterfree excitedly circled his trainer. Ash grabbed the bug type Pokémon and hugged it affectionately.

"Wow, I've got to admit that was a rather impressive win," commented Misty from her place by the side lines.

"Pika," replied Pikachu sagely in agreement.

Forrest recalled Sandshrew to its pokéball and then turned to Ash and commented "I've got to admit, Ash, that was some impressive battling."

"Hey, thanks," said Ash graciously.

"I've worked hard to train my Sandshrew to get over its disadvantage against flying Pokémon, but apparently I have not yet done enough. However, you won't be getting past this one."

Forrest took up another pokéball and threw it, calling out as he did so "Let's go Geodude!"

The red and white pokéball snapped open and the Pokémon within came out.

It was a grey coloured thing, that looked to Ash like little more than a rock with two arms and a face attached.

This is exactly what it was, of course.

Ash had heard of Geodude before, and even seen one or two during his younger years, but he knew relatively little about them.

With a frown on his face, Ash took out his Pokédex to learn more.

**Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Found commonly on mountainsides and in caves, if they remain immobile, people usually do not notice them. Stepping or tripping on one can make it angry, however, and it swings its powerful arms around to scare off threats.**

Ash did not like the sound of this opponent too much. He looked over to where Butterfree was fluttering in the air facing this new foe.

"Butterfree, this Pokémon is a rock type, so we need to be careful," Ash called out to it.

"Free!" replied Butterfree in agreement.

"Begin," ordered Flint.

"Butterfree, use Stun Spore," ordered Ash, hoping to paralyse the rock type Pokémon.

Even as Butterfree was beginning to generate its yellow dust cloud, Forrest called out to his Pokémon.

"Geodude, use Rock Throw."

Using its strong arms, Geodude snatched up the nearest rock and threw it at Butterfree.

"Dodge it!" Ash shouted to Butterfree frantically.

Abandoning its attack, Butterfree dodged to the left, causing the thrown rock to sail past it.

"You can't keep that up forever," said Forrest "Geodude, keep going!"

"Dodge 'em all, Butterfree!" Ash shouted out.

In rapid succession Geodude began hurling rock after rock at Butterfree, and the butterfly Pokémon swirled, twirled, flipped, jigged and swayed to avoid each one.

"Ash!" Misty called out "Butterfree is a bug and flying type Pokémon. If one of those rocks hit it, then it doesn't stand a chance. You need to call it back!"

"I know what I'm doing," Ash replied hotly to her before turning back to the battle and shouting "Come on Butterfree, you can dodge them all!"

But Butterfree was tiring fast, and just a few moments later, one rock found its target, landing a powerful blow against Butterfree's head. Dazed by that one blow, Butterfree failed to dodge the next rock as well, and that was it for the bug type Pokémon.

Out cold, Butterfree fell to the ground and landed with a soft thump on the ground.

Flint called out "Challenger Ash's Butterfree is unable to continue battling. This round goes to Gym trainer Forrest and his Geodude."

Forrest's younger brothers and sisters all cheered for him as Ash recalled his faithful Butterfree to his pokéball.

"Good job Butterfree," said Ash to the bug type's pokéball "you fought well. Now take a good rest."

He reattached Butterfree's pokéball to his belt and took another.

He threw it out onto the battlefield with a shout of "Mankey, I chose you!"

The pokéball snapped open and in a flash of white light Mankey appeared on the battlefield.

"Begin!" ordered Flint.

"Geodude, use Rock Throw," ordered Forrest.

Geodude grabbed a rock and threw it.

"Dodge it!" Ash shouted.

Mankey sprang away and the rock missed completely. At Forrest's command, Geodude unleashed a barrage of thrown rocks, each of one Mankey went to great effort to dodge, performing a series of jumps, flips and summersaults to jump between the tops of each of the large boulders located around the battlefield.

One of the thrown rocks did manage to hit its mark, but rather than leave Mankey feeling dizzy the blow just made the fighting type Pokémon angry.

Geodude had by now cleared the area immediately around it of all the rocks it could lift up and throw.

"Move over to the left," Forrest called out.

Geodude made to make the move, only to stop when it realised that Mankey was standing atop the tall rock next to it.

"So you want to battle at close range then?" asked Forrest "that's fine by me. Geodude, use Tackle."

Using its powerful arms Geodude pushed down hard against the ground beneath it, launching its rock "body" into the air.

"Low Kick!" Ash shouted across the battlefield.

Mankey jumped off of the rock, foot extended downwards. The two Pokémon met in mid-air, and it was Geodude that gave way, crashing back down into the sand while Mankey landed on its feet, knees bent and ready for more.

"Geodude, get up!" Forrest called out to his Pokémon.

"Mankey, finish this with another Low Kick!" ordered Ash.

Mankey launched himself towards Geodude, aiming another kick at the rock Pokémon.

"Grab it!" shouted Forrest.

Geodude's eyes snapped open and it reached out with a large hand just in time to grab Mankey's foot in a strong grip before the fighting type could land its hit.

"Tough luck there, Ash," said Forrest.

"For you it is," retorted Ash "Mankey, use Low Kick."

Mankey twisted around and swung his second, free foot forcefully.

The blow was a powerful one, and two highly effective moves used in quick succession proved to be far more than Geodude could handle.

The rock and ground type Pokémon rolled over backwards away from Mankey, and then went completely still.

"Gym trainer Forrest's Geodude is unable to continue battling," Flint called out "This round, and the battle goes to Challenger Ash and his Mankey."

Forrest's younger brothers and sisters cried out sadly as their brother was forced to recall his second Pokémon.

Misty and Pikachu hurried over to Ash.

"That was an impressive battle, Ash," Misty admitted with a smile of her face.

"Thanks," replied Ash "It's all thanks to Butterfree and Mankey."

"She's right Ash," said Forrest, walking over to them "It was a great battle. One of the best I've had in a while. I hope we can do it again some time."

"Yeah," agreed Ash "That'd be great."

The pair shook hands.

"So Ash," said Brock, coming over "Are you prepared to face me now?"

"I'm ready," said Ash eagerly.

Misty, however, interrupted and said "Um, Ash? Shouldn't you go to the Pokémon centre first to get you Pokémon healed? Butterfree is knocked out, and Mankey just had a rough battle."

"I can use another Pokémon instead of Butterfree," said Ash, waiving her off dismissively "After all, like you said, Butterfree is really weak to rock type Pokémon. And besides, Mankey barely took any damage at all. He's eager to go."

He looked down at his fighting type Pokémon and asked "Aren't you?"

"Mankey!" replied the monkey Pokémon eagerly, pumping his fists energetically.

"Well, if you're sure…" said Misty, sounding far from certain that Ash was making the best choice in deciding to battle Brock right after his battle with Forrest.

Misty and Forrest both vacated the battlefield, Misty to the spot where she and Pikachu had been watching before, and Forrest to his place amongst his family.

Ash and Brock took their positions at the opposite ends of the battlefield and waited for Flint to begin the battle.

Flint stepped up and announced "This battle is to determine whether or not the challenger, Ash Ketchum deserves to be awarded the Boulder Badge from the Pewter City Gym Leader, Brock. In this battle, both sides may use only two Pokémon each. Both sides may now choose their first Pokémon."

Brock took it and threw it out onto the battlefield with a shout of "Geodude, go!"

The pokéball snapped open and in a flash of white light, Brock's Geodude appeared on the battlefield.

"Another Geodude, huh?" asked Ash "Alright, we can beat that, right Mankey?"

Mankey nodded eagerly in agreement.

"Alright, Mankey," said Ash "I choose you!"

Mankey ran back out onto the battlefield, ready to face Brock's Geodude.

Flint spoke again "This battle against the Pewter City Gym Leader is about to begin. Gym Leader Brock is starting with Geodude, and the challenger, Ash Ketchum, is starting with his Mankey. During this battle only the challenger will be allowed to make substitutions. The battle ends when both of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to continue battling. As the challenger, Ash once again gets the first move. Now, begin."

Ash called out to his Pokémon "Mankey, let's finish this quickly. Use Low Kick!"

With a loud cry, Mankey charged across the battlefield towards Geodude.

"Geodude," said Brock "use Defence Curl and take the hit!"

Without preamble, Geodude tucked in its arms and curled itself up into a ball. There was no doubting that Mankey's subsequent kick did a fair amount of damage, but it was significantly less than what would have been done otherwise.

Without giving Mankey the chance to back away, Brock called out "Now Geodude, use Mega Punch!"

With surprising speed, Geodude uncurled itself and swung its right arm powerfully. The rock Pokémon's fist smashed into Mankey and the fighting type Pokémon was sent flying backwards. It crashed against a rock and then landed, dazed from the blow, in a heap in the sand.

"Mankey, get up!" Ash shouted frantically.

Mankey heard his shout and braced its three fingered hands against the sandy floor in an effort to push himself up.

"Time to end this," said Brock confidently "Geodude, use Rock Throw."

Geodude grabbed the nearest rock and threw it.

It bounced off of Mankey's head and the struggling fighting type Pokémon face planted down in the sand once again.

Flint called it "Ash's Mankey is unable to continue with this battle. This round goes to Gym Leader Brock and his Geodude."

Ash stared down at Mankey with an expression of shock on his face "Mankey lost?"

From her position on the side lines Misty groaned loudly before muttering "I told him to heal his Pokémon at the Pokémon centre before challenging Brock."

"Pika pi," said Pikachu in agreement, his pointed ears drooping sadly.

Ash held out Mankey's pokéball and called out "Good job Mankey. Now return."

A beam of red light shot out of the button on the front of the pokéball and hit Mankey. The body of the fighting type was surrounded by that light before seemingly being absorbed by it. The red light then returned to the pokéball.

Ash reattached Mankey's pokéball to his belt, and had to stop to think.

With Mankey now out of the battle, who was he left with that could face Brock's Pokémon? Ash knew that Pikachu did not stand a chance against Geodude, as it was both a rock type and a ground type, making it completely resistant to Pikachu's Thundershock attack. And Geodude's naturally high defences would make sure that Pikachu's speedy Quick Attack would do very little damage.

Pidgeotto was also not an option to consider. Not only was she weak to rock type attacks, but her own moves, Gust and Quick Attack were resisted by Geodude.

Ash wished that he had listened to Misty (not that he would ever admit that to her) and gone back to the Pokémon centre before challenging Brock. Butterfree may have been very weak to rock type moves like Pidgeotto, but at least Ash could rely on the bug type's Confusion technique to do some decent damage. And there would always have been Stun Spore for backup.

Realising that he was left with only one option, Ash took another pokéball off of his belt. He would have to rely on landing repeated hits in between a lot of dodging, but he felt that a win here was at least doable. He would also have to hope that Geodude knew no ground type moves as well.

He threw the pokéball and shouted "Nidoran, I choose you."

The pokéball snapped open and Nidoran appeared on the battlefield. The Poison Pin Pokémon flapped his large ears and cried out in eagerness to battle.

"A desperate choice," commented Brock "Poison type attack do very little damage to Pokémon like my Geodude."

"Let's just do this," replied Ash, not daring to mention that his poison type Pokémon did not actually know any poison type moves anyway.

Flint stepped up and declared in a loud voice "Begin!"

"Use Horn Attack!" Ash shouted immediately.

The horn on Nidoran's forehead took on a white glow and grew in length, and then with a cry the Poison Pin Pokémon charged.

"Stop it in its tracks with Rock Throw," commanded Brock.

Geodude quickly snatched up the nearest rock and threw it as Ash shouted out "Dodge it, Nidoran."

Nidoran jerked sideways as it ran, dodging the thrown rock completely. Then the poison type Pokémon reached Geodude and jabbed it strongly with its horn.

On any other Pokémon that attack might have ended the round right there and then. But against a Geodude the move seemed to do barely anything.

"Knock it away from you, Geodude," ordered Brock "Use Mega Punch."

Geodude once again swung its right arm powerfully, and delivered a forceful punch to Nidoran's right side. The smaller Pokémon was thrown through the air by the blow and his flight only stopped when he crashed into the side of a large rock on the side of the battlefield.

"End this with Tackle," ordered Brock.

Geodude pushed its handed forcefully against the ground, generating enough thrust to throw its '_body_' across the battlefield. With a powerful blow it collided with Nidoran, wedging the poison type painfully between it and the rock behind.

"Nidoran!" Ash shouted out across the battlefield "Don't give in! Fight back with everything you've got!"

And, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Nidoran did exactly that.

He struggled for a moment or two, and then managed to bring up one of his back legs to deliver a kick to Geodude's underside.

The other back leg then mirrored that action.

Caught completely by surprise, Geodude reeled back, crying out in pain.

"What the-?" exclaimed Ash.

Misty shouted out excitedly "Ash! That was Nidoran's Double Kick attack! It's a fighting type move, so it's extremely effective against a rock type Pokémon like Geodude.

"Ha-ha!" Ash cheered out "I knew you could do it Nidoran. Now use Double Kick again to end this!"

Nidoran nodded to his trainer and sprang towards Geodude.

Brock grit his teeth together angrily before shouting out "Geodude, use Defence Curl!"

Geodude once more tucked in his arms curled up into a ball just in time. Nidoran landed one blow with one of his back legs, and then another blow with the other leg before backing off.

For a few moments all was silent and still as everyone gathered in the gym each held their breaths.

Then Geodude uncurled its body and slumped over, knocked out.

Flint called out "Gym Leader Brock's Geodude is unable to continue with this battle. Therefore this round goes to Challenger Ash and his Nidoran!"

Ash let out a cheer, and it was echoed by Misty and Pikachu at the side lines.

Brock recalled his Geodude to its pokéball and commented "Very nicely done, Ash. I'll be honest and admit that I thought that I would win this battle with Geodude alone, but clearly you and your Pokémon are much stronger than I gave you credit for. However, you will not be getting past this next Pokémon."

He took a second pokéball from his pocket and threw it out onto the battlefield "Go, Onix!"

The pokéball snapped open and a colossal Pokémon appeared. It was like a serpent in appearance, but its line, snaking body was made up entirely of huge boulders all in a line, joined together in a way that was unknown to all.

And it dwarfed Nidoran. Onix was eighteen times the size of the poison pin Pokémon, and weighed almost twenty four times as much as well.

Ash stood there, completely stunned. This was a Pokémon that he had seen before. Had he not been watching a battle on television the night before his journey began, in which one of the battling trainers had sent out an Onix?

Never in his wildest imagination had he considered the possibility of encountering such a creature so soon into his journey.

And yet here it was.

The gigantic Pokémon gave a loud roar, as if only to further demonstrate the immensity of it.

Ash reached for his Pokédex, hoping for some clue as to how he was meant to battle such a Pokémon.

**Onix, the Rock Snake Pokémon. By twisting its large and powerful body, this Pokémon can tunnel through the ground at speeds of up to fifty miles per hour. The tunnels it leaves behind are often used by Diglett.**

For Ash there was no gathering his wits. He could see no way to face this opponent and come out on top.

Flint stepped forwards and called out "Begin."

"Onix, use Tackle!" shouted Brock.

On hearing Brocks voice call out an attack, Ash snapped his attention to the battlefield just in time to shout out "Nidoran, get out of there!"

Nidoran did not need telling twice. The much smaller Pokémon turned and bounded away from its opponent, just in time to dodge Onix's huge head as it crashed down into the sand and rocks on the battlefield.

Onix's size and weight were so immense, however, that even though its attack missed Nidoran, the impact of it against the ground was more than enough to shake the entire battlefield in such a way that Nidoran completely lost his footing, tripped and fell over.

"Now, Onix," Brock called out "Use Bind."

Nidoran was just pushing himself to his feet when a dark shadow fell over him. He turned around to see Onix looming over him.

"Run, Nidoran!" Ash shouted, but there was no escaping this time.

Even as Nidoran turned to flee, Onix's large tale slammed to the ground, completely blocking the poison type's retreat.

Nidoran spun on the spot and realised that it was completely surrounded by the huge body of Onix.

Ash called out to his Pokémon in desperation. Onix's body was so large that his Pokémon was completely blocked from Ash's view.

Then Onix began to coil its body inwards, tightening the ring around Nidoran.

Ash heard his Pokémon's cry and looked up to see that Nidoran was now completely trapped between Onix's powerful coils.

"Try and get away!" Ash shouted out in desperate hope, even though he knew in his heart that it was foolish.

Nidoran wriggled about what little of his body he could, but it was no use. Onix's hold was too tight. And after a few more moments, Nidoran stopped moving altogether.

Onix uncoiled itself and released Nidoran, how fell with a soft thud down onto the sand.

Flint called out "Challenger Ash's Nidoran is unable to continue with this battle. Therefore this round, and the battle as a whole goes to the Gym Leader Brock, and his Onix."

Ash walked out onto the battlefield and picked up Nidoran. The poison type Pokémon was barely able to open his eyes.

Brock recalled Onix to its pokéball and then commented "You did very well, Ash. Go and train some more and then come back for another match any time you like."

Ash gave a nod, but said nothing. He turned and walked off of the battlefield. Misty and Pikachu hurried over to join him, and followed him as he walked out the front doors of the gym.

* * *

Rain rattled against the window as Ash sat staring out of it. The weather outside the Pokémon centre had quickly changed in the past few minutes to reflect his own mood.

Miserable.

He wasn't upset about losing. He knew that Gym battles were extremely tough, so it was to be expected that a beginning trainer like he was would not succeed right away. But to be beaten so soundly and so easily was another matter entirely. Brock's Geodude had overpowered Mankey relatively easily, despite Ash's confidence in the fighting type Pokémon. And that Onix…

Nidoran had not stood even the slightest chance against it. Even with his newly learnt Double Kick attack.

Mankey, Nidoran and Butterfree was all currently in the care of Nurse Joy, being healed of the wear and tear that their intense battles had inflicted upon them.

It had been a mistake to not get his pokemon healed between the two battles and Ash knew it. But he also knew that, even if he had done that, the battle would have ended no differently. Except maybe Mankey might have defeated Brock's Geodude first, and if that had happened, Nidoran might not had gotten to learn Double Kick today.

A soft clunk drew his attention and he looked down at the table in front of him. A steaming bowl of noodles had been placed in front of him. He turned his head to see Misty sitting down in the booth next to him, her own bowl of noodles sitting in front of her.

She turned to him and offered him a small smile before beginning to eat.

Ash looked across the table and saw that Pikachu was currently completely distracted with the task of licking tomato ketchup straight out of the bottle.

Ash smiled, reached out to pat Pikachu affectionately on the head, and then turned his attention to his bowl of noodles.

He was rather hungry after all.

There really was no point in feeling down, he supposed. After all, like Brock had said, all he needed to do was to train a little more, and then he could go back and challenge the gym again at any time he felt like it.

And he would do so, when he was ready.

* * *

**A/N: There we go. What did you think of Ash's first attempt at challenging a Gym? Unlike his original anime self, I have tried to clue him in at least a little bit. Misty has already bugged him a bit about Pokémon types, and I'd like to think that some of this stuff might just stick about a bit. You'll also notice, of course, that even though Ash lost, I gave each of the Pokémon that he used their moment to shine a little. No sense in having someone "just take the hit" at this point. And I hope never to do that to any Pokémon, unlike the humiliation the writers of the anime decided to lump Swellow and Torkoal with when Ash faced Tobias at the Sinnoh league.**

**I hope that everyone's thoughts and reactions were believable.**

**For anyone that is caring to keep score, Ash's Pokémon currently know the following moves:**

**Pikachu: **Thundershock, Quick Attack

**Nidoran: **Tackle, Horn Attack, Double Kick

**Mankey: **Scratch, Low Kick

**Butterfree: **Confusion, Tackle, Stun Spore

**Pidgeotto: **Gust, Sand Attack, Quick Attack

**Mankey will learn his third move soon, but Pikachu is going to have to wait a bit for his, as Slam and Thunder Wave are set to be key parts of Ritchie's Pikachu's move set, and I want to keep the two Pika's somewhat separate.**

**Some of you may also notice that I am mentioning the genders of Pokémon in some cases. I know that genders were not introduced until generation two (except with the Nidoran family of course) but it was mentioned in the anime well before then. So in case you are wondering and want it confirmed, four of Ash's Pokémon are male, with Pidgeotto being female. I'm not really sure why I chose to do that, as in the past I've always thought of Ash's first bird Pokémon to be a male, but lately I've been thinking differently. In fact as far as the anime goes, I think that all of Ash's birds are female, except for Staraptor. And if this story ever gets to that massively far off point, then I will make that the canon for this story.**


	9. A Question from the Author

**Sorry to get your hopes up about this being a new chapter, but a very important question has come up that relates to how this story will continue.**

**The original plan for the next chapter was to have Ash talk with Flint, train for a bit, foil a plan by the TR trio and then challenge Brock again, with the end of that battle being revealed in the following chapter.**

**However the way in which Ash trains has left me a bit stumped. The original note I made said that he should go back to route 2 and battle wild Pokémon for a bit, as you would do in the games. I cannot, however, see a way for this to be an enjoyable read – Ash sending out his Pokémon to battle an endless line of Pidgey, Rattata, Caterpie and Weedle does not work as a story. It can work as a mention ("they made their way to the end of the route fighting a couple of wild Pokémon along the way" for example, or "they were having no luck finding a Clefairy, but they made short work of the multitude of Zubat that came their way") but I need to draw it out a bit more than that for the purposes of the story and given how the local Pokémon at the moment currently know little more than tackle, that will get very old very fast.**

**My next thought on what to do was to have Flint send out one of his Pokémon, say a Rhyhorn, and have it just take hits from Ash's Pokémon until they got stronger, but again that seems too dull.**

**But then I was watching an episode of the BW series, and got thinking about the Battle Clubs and Don George who were introduced in the Unova region. These battle clubs are interesting places for trainers to go to practice and learn (I especially liked the episode where Ash trained with Tepig and Oshawott in one of these places.)**

**Add to that the at least two side tournaments I have planned to include in this story (the P1 Grand Prix from the anime, and a water type tournament a similar style to the whirl islands cup in the Johto series) where it would not be too unreasonable to add in Don George as a commentator, I can see him fitting in.**

**I know that I am trying hard to keep a Generation 1 theme going with this story, but in my opinion the Battle Clubs are something that should have been introduced in the anime a long time ago.**

**So my question to you is – Should I bring in the Battle Clubs and Don George now, so that Ash can train for a bit there first, getting his Pokémon to practice things such as dodging and countering moves as well as increasing their speed and power?**

**Any opinion you have to offer will be very much appreciated. Either review or PM me with your thoughts. Personally I'd like to include them now, but I'd like to get a feel for what you, the readers, want as reviews have generally been very positive so far (except for the odd complaint) and I'd hate to ruin that by introducing this concept so much sooner.**

**Thanks for reading, and any responses you might give.**

**Sprinter1988**


	10. Don George and the Battle Club

**Well, the results are in and it seems that the answer to my question was an almost resounding "yes" therefore, starting with this chapter, Battle Clubs are officially introduced to the Kanto region in this rewrite. This actually works out pretty great, as it not only gives me opportunities to not only allow Ash and the others to train, but also allow them to use their future reserves more efficiently as well as compete in tournaments. On that note, I have decided to bring in a tournament for both Ash and Misty to take part in before Ash returns to the Pewter Gym for a rematch. This should allow both trainers to develop a bit. It also gives me an excuse to bring in someone else a little earlier than planned. I'll not say who it is here, but you'll find out soon enough.**

**This chapter is mostly about watching another pair of trainers have a battle, with Ash and Misty getting introduced to the Battle Club and using its facilities. Some other faces are there as well, and one of them has a bit of a surprise on her team as well. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 9: Don George and the Battle Club

The early morning sun shone in the sky, the rainstorm that had swept in the previous day having dispersed sometime during the night.

The light of that sun shone through the large double glass doors that were located at the front of the Pokémon centre building and cast a bright gleam over the blue tiled floor.

Misty, who was standing by the reception desk and talking with Nurse Joy looked up as Ash wandered around the corner, doing up the zip on his green back pack.

"Got everything?" asked Misty.

"Yeah," replied Ash as he swung the back pack onto his shoulders "Guess we'd better be heading back to Viridian Forest in order to train some more."

"Ash," said Nurse Joy "Before you do that, I'd recommend that you make use of the Battle Club. It's a new facility located on the eastern edge of the town where trainers can train with their Pokémon and take part in battles."

"Wow, that sounds great!" said Ash enthusiastically. He grabbed Misty by the arm and dragged her towards the doors of the Pokémon centre "Come on, Misty, let's go!"

Pikachu hurried off after them.

* * *

The Battle Club Building was a huge one. Largely square in shape, it stood six storeys high and dominated over the buildings that stood nearby. Around the building there were several grassy lawns, each of them divided from the others by winding pathways. In the middle of each lawn there were either flower beds or a couple of trees. In these trees several Pidgey had made their nests.

Ash and Misty hurried eagerly along one of the winding paths that led to the front door of the building, but game to a sudden stop when the door opened and a familiar face stepped out.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Ash Ketchum the loser of Pallet Town. Finally made it this far did ya? Took ya long enough."

Ash clenched his fists and bit back "For your information, Gary, I've been in Pewter City for several days."

Gary Oak smirked back at him and replied "Is that so? Well I've been here for over a week making use of this place." he gestured over his shoulder with his thumb "I guess seeing as you're only just now coming here that you've been challenging the gym. Got your first badge yet?"

"Er," Ash replied awkwardly.

Gary began laughing and exclaimed "You haven't? What a looser. Smell ya later, Ashy boy."

Still laughing he walked away.

"That jerk," growled Ash, watching Gary go with his fists clenched.

Misty put a comforting hand on his shoulder "Cool it, Ash."

"I thought I heard your voice, Ash Ketchum" said someone behind them.

Both of them turned around and saw that another familiar face had just stepped out through the doors of the Battle Club.

"Oh, hi Robyn," muttered Ash.

Robyn looked to Misty and asked "What's with him?"

"He just had a run in with Gary," explained Misty.

"Gotcha," said Robyn "Well, Ash you just ignore everything that knucklehead says to you. Now both of you come in, and I'll show you around."

* * *

The inside of the Battle Club was even more impressive than the exterior.

At least twenty different trainers and their Pokémon were milling about making use of the facilities. There was a large gymnasium which contained everything from treadmills and rowing machines to punching bags and weights. There were two large swimming pools in one room. There were numerous rooms containing battlefields for practice battles. There was a library and a computer room where trainers could study Pokémon and battle strategy. And there was a large cafeteria containing many tables, as well as several large television screens were trainers could watch any battles taking place throughout the building.

"This is so cool," said Ash excitedly.

"It certainly is," agreed Robyn "I've been training here for three days already."

"Getting a bit of last minute preparation in before challenging the gym?" asked Misty.

"No, I've already got a badge from the Pewter Gym," replied Robyn brightly.

"You have?" asked Ash, dejectedly.

"Sure thing," said Robyn "Brock's Pokémon were all rock and ground types. It was an easy win for Bulbasaur. Right Bulbasaur?"

"_Bulba_!" her starter Pokémon called back from where it was running on a treadmill next to Robyn's Nidoran. The treadmill was set at a slight uphill climb.

"Don't look so glum, Ash," said Robyn "Ritchie hasn't got his badge from the Pewter Gym yet either?"

Ash perked up at this "He hasn't?"

"No, I haven't," said Ritchie, walking into the room.

"Hey, Ritchie." said Ash "So you're here as well?"

"Yep," replied the other trainer "Turns out that all of my Pokémon were at a major disadvantage against everything Brock might throw at us, so I went out and caught another one. I've been training it up here, along with the rest."

He gestured over his shoulder to where his Charmander and Pikachu were running on another treadmill.

"So where is this new Pokémon?" asked Misty.

"I'll show you," said Ritchie, and he led them over to the pool room.

Inside he called out "Poliwag!" and the surface of one of the pools rippled, and a splash of water went up as a small, round, blue coloured Pokémon burst into the air. It landed confidently on the tiled floor in front of them.

"Oh, hey, you've got a Poliwag as well!" exclaimed Misty. She opened her red bag and took out a pokéball, which she opened to let the Pokémon contained within out into the open.

Her Poliwag appeared next to Ritchie's and the two Tadpole Pokémon greeted each other happily, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Well, well. Who do we have here?"

They turned around to see that a man had entered the room. He was a tall and muscular man, with short grey hair and a large moustache.

"Hello, Don George," said Robyn politely "These are Ash and Misty. They're friends of ours."

The man laughed heartily and said "Well in that case, welcome to the Battle Club. My name is Don George, and I own and run this facility."

"So what gave you the idea to open this place?" asked Misty.

"To tell you the truth it wasn't my idea," replied Don George "Places like this one have been operating in the Unova region for years. My brothers and I decided to bring the idea to all the other regions."

"Unova region?" asked Ash.

Don George nodded and explained "The Unova region is a land located many miles away from Kanto. And the Pokémon there are completely different to what you find in Kanto. My family owns and runs a Battle Club in every town and city there. We've been looking into expanding into other regions for quite some time, and the Kanto region was the first to allow us to begin constructing the facilities. We haven't expanded into the towns yet, but every major city in Kanto now has a Battle Club facility, all of which have just opened up in the last few months. Except, of course, for Viridian City, on the other side of the forest to the south of here."

"Why isn't there one in Viridian City?" questioned Ash.

Don George gave a shrug and replied "We keep on submitting applications to build one there, but for some reason approval is always being blocked. From what we've seen people want the facility there, but we just can't seem to get permission from the local authority."

"That seems kind of silly." observed Ritchie.

"Yeah," agreed Robyn "If there is a demand for the service, then surely it makes sense for the city to provide it."

Don George gave another shrug and replied "I'm sure it'll all sort itself out in the end. Anyway, enough about that. I just came to let you know that there will be a battle taking place down on Battlefield Three in a few minutes if you wanted to go and watch it in the cafeteria."

"That sounds great," said Ritchie enthusiastically. He turned to the others "You guys coming?"

The other three all agreed and they left the pool room after Misty and Ritchie had both recalled their individual Poliwag to their respective pokéballs. They made a stop in the gymnasium where Ritchie recalled his Charmander and Pikachu to their pokéballs and Robyn recalled her Bulbasaur and Nidoran to theirs.

By the time they got there, the cafeteria was already bustling with other trainers, all of whom were eager to watch the battle that was about to begin. Ash and Ritchie managed to make their way over to the food counter as Misty and Robyn headed off to find some seats for them all.

After managing to get some snacks for themselves and the rest of the group, Ash and Ritchie pushed their way through the crowd to where Misty and Robyn had located a table right near the front.

"Quiet, everyone!" shouted a voice "It's starting!"

All eyes turned to the large television screen on which the battle was being shown via a live feed.

Don George was standing on a small podium located on the side of the battlefield, in line with the half way line. It seemed that he would be acting as the referee for this battle.

He raised both arms into the air to call everyone's attention and announced "The following battle will be a three-on-three bout between Damian and Assunta. The battle will end when all three of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle. A coin toss will occur to determine who acts first. If it lands on heads Damian goes first and if it lands on tails Assunta goes first."

The screen changed to show a golden coin with an engraving of a Magikarp on the front, and a pokéball on the back. The coin flipped over rapidly several times before coming to a halt, showing the pokéball side.

"And it's tails," announced Don George "and that means that Assunta gets the first move."

Assunta was a blue haired girl in a red, sleeveless top that had a collar that was turned upwards. She appeared to be about a year or two older than Misty who, at eleven, was the oldest of the four friends. With determination in her eyes, Assunta took what looked like an ordinary pokéball from her pocket and held it up.

"Why is it in green camouflage?" asked Ash.

"I think that it must be a special kind of pokéball," said Ritchie "I think that the Safari Zone near Fuchsia City has pokéballs like that."

On the television screen, Assunta announced "Let's see how you like this powerhouse. Go, Rhyhorn."

She threw the ball and it snapped open. The Pokémon that came out was very large and covered in rugged armour plating. The weight of its bulky, grey coloured body was supported by four short yet powerful legs, and the large triangular head was adorned with a large horn situated above its nose.

"What's that?" asked Ash as Robyn took out her Pokédex and held it up.

**Rhyhorn, the Spikes Pokémon. With its hard shell protection, as well as its great strength, Rhyhorn is known for its considerable physical offensive and defensive strengths. Its massive bones are one thousand times harder than the bones of a human, and it is easily capable of knocking a trailer flying. However this Pokémon is also both quick to anger and not very intelligent.**

"Sounds like a tough opponent," observed Robyn "I wonder how that Damian guy will counter it."

Damian, a boy of about sixteen, had a pair of white framed sunglasses perched on his blue hair. He wore a pink shirt over a red polo neck, and a brown waistcoat. Like Assunta he too had a look of determination on his face, but there was a touch of arrogance there as well.

He too took a pokéball, an ordinary red and white one this time and there it with a shout of "Weepinbell, go!"

Weepinbell was a strange looking Pokémon. Its yellow bell shaped body was actually a flower that opened to reveal a large round mouth. There were two large, round eyes, and two large green leaves which served as strange limb like structures.

Robyn again used her Pokédex in order to find out more.

**Weepinbell, the Flycatcher Pokémon, and the evolved form of Bellsprout. Weepinbell spits out poisonous pollen which immobilise its enemies. It then attacks by spraying acid. Its leaves are razor sharp and if its prey is too big for it to swallow whole, Weepinbell will use those leaves to cut the victim apart before swallowing down every last morsel.**

"That sounds pleasant," said Ritchie with a deadpan expression.

"It's a grass type Pokémon," commented Misty "That means Damian has the advantage here."

Don George called out "Begin!"

Assunta held up the strangely coloured pokéball again and called out "Rhyhorn, return!"

A beam of red light shot from the button on the front of the pokéball and hit Rhyhorn. The rock and ground type Pokémon was enveloped by the red light and disappeared into it. The red light drew back into the pokéball, taking Rhyhorn with it.

"Wow," said Ash "She's changing Pokémon."

Robyn nodded and said "It makes sense. A Rhyhorn stands little chance against the grass type moves of a Weepinbell."

Assunta had taken another pokéball, this one in the same unusual design as the one that held her Rhyhorn.

She threw it and called out "Venomoth, you're up!"

The ball snapped open and a bug type Pokémon that looked a lot like a purple coloured cousin of Butterfree appeared.

This time Ash was the one to examine this new Pokémon with his Pokédex.

**Venomoth, the Poison Moth Pokémon. It is the evolved form of Venonat. The tiny scales on its wings disperse various spores when they are flapped. In the wild they are usually nocturnal, coming out only at night. They can sometimes be seen in towns and cities feeding on small insects that are attracted to the light of street lamps.**

"These are really strong Pokémon that they are using," observed Ritchie "They must have been training for quite a while."

Damian seemed fine with this match up, because he called out "Weepinbell, use Vine Whip!"

At the tip of Weepinbell's bell shaped body there was a brown, hook like appendage that was kind of like a plant stem. On its trainers command, this appendage rapidly grew in length and with one twist of its body, Weepinbell sent it flying across the battlefield, ready to strike Assunta's Venomoth like a whip.

"Dodge it Venomoth!" ordered Assunta.

Venomoth beat its wings hard and it soared upwards, narrowly avoiding the attack from Weepinbell.

The attack might have missed, but Damian was far from put off. Instead he called out "Use Wrap."

Controlled by Weepinbell through much practice, the vine turned in the air and launched upwards. Quickly it coiled around Venomoth's body once, twice, three times. The bug type Pokémon's wings were pinned to its sides, making it unable to move. Worse for Assunta, the vine was constricting Venomoth, squeezing the Pokémon's strength out of it.

She knew how to make the most of this situation however and called out "Venomoth, it's time for Psybeam!"

Venomoth's eyes, which had previously been closed in pain as it struggled against Weepinbell's attack snapped open. From each eye there came a strange looking multi-coloured beam. Just in front of Venomoth's face the two beams joined together as one before rocketing towards Weepinbell and landing a powerful blow that sent the grass and poison type Pokémon reeling backwards.

"That's a psychic type move," observed Robyn "That turns the tables in Assunta's favour."

"So it knows Psybeam, huh?" asked Damian through gritted teeth "Fine then. Weepinbell use Slam!"

The vine tightened and swung downwards, throwing Venomoth down hard against the stadium floor.

The vine let go of Venomoth and began to retract towards Weepinbell's body as Damian took Weepinbell's pokéball and called out "Weepinbell, return!"

The Flycatcher Pokémon vanished inside the pokéball.

"A sensible choice." said Misty.

"Yeah, but he made sure to get in one final move before calling his Pokémon back." said Ash.

By now Damian had taken another pokéball from his pocket. This one was different to normal as well, being blue and white in colour, with two red ridges on the top.

"That's a great ball," said Ritchie, knowledgably "They're used to obtain stronger Pokémon that ordinary pokéballs struggle to capture."

The great ball was thrown onto the battlefield, accompanied by a shout of "Let's go, Drowzee."

Drowzee was a strange looking Pokémon that stood on two legs, and was about half the height of a fully grown man. It looked somewhat like a tapir, being pig-like with a small trunk for a nose. The top half of Drowzee's pot-bellied body was yellow, while the bottom half was brown in colour. The toes on its stubby feet were yellow as well.

"It's kind of creepy." said Misty with a grimace on her face.

Ash consulted his Pokédex.

**Drowzee, the Hypnosis Pokémon. Drowzee puts its enemies to sleep, and then eats its dreams. It prefers the dreams of children to those of adults as they are far tastier. If it eats a bad dream, it might get sick. It can sometimes show people the dreams it has eaten in the past.**

"I take it back." said Misty "That Pokémon isn't _kind of_ creepy. It _is _creepy."

"I bet that its ability to put opponents to sleep could come in handy though." said Ash.

By now Venomoth had managed to recover enough from Weepinbell's final blow the get airborne again. Assunta wasted no time.

"Venomoth, use a Double-Edge attack."

A greenish energy appeared around Venomoth's body. The bug type Pokémon tucked its wings against its body and it flew at Drowzee, ramming it with its full force.

Drowzee was knocked backwards but remained standing.

Now it was Damian's turn "Drowzee, use 'ipnosis."

Drowzee began waving its arms around in a strange way, almost like a poorly coordinated dance. Then a series of strange, multi-coloured rings emerged from its face and drifted over to Venomoth.

The bug Pokémon's eyes drooped and it fell to the ground, sound asleep.

"Now finish this wiv Dream Eater!" ordered Damian.

Drowzee threw its arms wide apart and cried out loudly. An eerie, shadow-like version of itself left Drowzee's body and raced across the battlefield towards Venomoth. It passed through the other Pokémon, throwing it backwards through the air before returning to Drowzee and disappearing into it. All traces of injury from the earlier Double Edge from Venomoth were erased, and Drowzee seemed to get stronger.

Venomoth crashed to the ground on its back. It was out cold.

Don George held up a flag and announced "Assunta's Venomoth is unable to battle. Damian and his Drowzee win this round.

Clearly disappointed, Assunta recalled her Venomoth and threw Rhyhorn's ball out onto the battlefield.

The Spikes Pokémon appeared and gave a loud bellow.

Wasting no time she called out "Rhyhorn, use Take Down."

Rhyhorn bellowed again and began charging forwards with a speed that was surprising when compared to its large size.

It was a frightening sight.

Damian called for his Drowzee to use Hypnosis on this Pokémon as well, but the psychic type Pokémon had barely begun to start the hypnotic waving of its arms when Rhyhorn's full force ploughed into it.

Drowzee was sent crashing across the battlefield as Rhyhorn gave a triumphant roar.

Drowzee was not out for the count yet, but Damian was not going to be taking any chances.

He recalled it to its great ball before sending Weepinbell back out.

"Damian has the advantage again," said Ash.

"Yeah, but don't forget Weepinbell took a lot of damage from Venomoth's Psybeam attack," said Robyn "Rhyhorn on the other hand is completely unharmed."

"Let's finish Weepinbell before it can attack," shouted Assunta "Use Body Slam!"

Rhyhorn charged before jumping as high as it could, which was a lot higher than one might expect.

"Razor Leaf," ordered Damian.

Weepinbell spun its body around rapidly, and a shower of razor sharp leaves appeared in the air around it. These then raced towards the incoming Rhyhorn at great speed, tearing at its armour plated body.

Rhyhorn however was a heavy Pokémon and super effective hit or not, there was nothing that Weepinbell could do that would stop the Spikes Pokémon from plummeting to the ground. Its full weight landed on the grass type Pokémon, squashing the opponent beneath its massive bulk.

Rhyhorn heaved itself up onto its legs again and took a couple of steps backwards.

Weepinbell did manage to get up, but as a shudder wracked through its body, Damian and everybody watching realised one thing.

"Its paralysed." exclaimed Robyn in surprise "That certainly robs Damian of all hope of winning with Weepinbell."

On the battlefield, Damian clearly realised this as well. He held up Weepinbell's pokéball and called it back.

Then he took another pokéball and threw it "Charminder, you're up."

"_Charminder_?" asked Ritchie, incredulously.

"I guess it must be his accent." said Robyn with a shrug.

The familiar shape of an orange, bipedal lizard with a flame on its tail appeared out of its pokéball.

Ash was well acquainted with a Charmander, having encountered Ritchie's several times now, but he had never looked it up on his Pokédex.

**Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. A flame burns at the tip of its tail from birth. It is said that this Pokémon will die if the flame ever goes out. Steam spouts from the tip of the tail when it is rain, and this Pokémon naturally prefers hot and dry places. Baby Charmander who are unfamiliar with the dangers of fire occasionally burn themselves by accident.**

"This should be interesting to watch," said Ritchie "I'll bet that his Charmander is more powerful than mine. It'll be fun to see what mine will be capable of in the future."

"But a fire type like Charmander is at a real disadvantage against a rock and ground type like Rhyhorn," said Robyn "I wonder what Damian had planned.

Damian as his Charmander did not disappoint. Without giving Assunta the chance to call out an attack from Rhyhorn, Damian shouted out "Alright, Charminder, use Dragin Rage."

The flame spouting from the tip of Charmander's tail suddenly grew to a great size. With a cry Charmander opened its mouth and a yellow ball of flame quickly appeared there. The ball grew and turned white, with bursts of orange flame crackling across the outer layer.

Charmander launched the orb towards Rhyhorn and slammed into the other Pokémon's face causing an explosion.

"Woah!" exclaimed Ash, Robyn and Ritchie together.

"So that's what Dragon Rage looks like." said Misty, causing the others to look at her "It's a dragon type attack, and it always does a set amount of damage, regardless of whatever weaknesses and resistances the opponent has. After the damage Rhyhorn took from Weepinbell, Dragon Rage was more than capable of taking it down, despite all apparent differences in size, strength and type."

On the battlefield the smoke was clearing. Just like Venomoth before it, Assunta's Rhyhorn was down and out.

Don George called out in a loud and clear voice "Assunta's Rhyhorn is unable to continue with this battle. Damian and his Charmander win this round."

All around them, other trainers were either cheering or booing this result.

"I guess they brought their friends with them." said Misty.

Out on the battlefield, Assunta had recalled Rhyhorn and was now holding a regular pokéball in her hand. "I didn't want you to face an opponent like this one," she said to it "but with Rhyhorn down, and with me having to use the three Pokémon I registered before the battle began, then I'll trust that you can do this. Go, Ivysaur!"

Ivysaur looked a lot like Robyn's Bulbasaur, except it was larger and instead of having a bulb on its back it had four fern leaves and a flower bud.

"Hey, an Ivysaur," exclaimed Robyn "That's what my Bulbasaur will evolve into one day."

It was Ritchie who examined it with his Pokédex this time.

**Ivysaur the Seed Pokémon. Ivysaur is the evolved form of Bulbasaur. The plant on its back absorbs sunlight for nourishment. If the plant grows too large, this Pokémon loses the ability to stand up on its hind legs. The plant gives off a sweet aroma when the flower is about to bloom.**

"Damian has the advantage again," said Ash.

"Maybe," said Misty "But don't forget, Ivysaur is an evolved Pokémon, and Charmander is not. That'll even the odds up a bit."

"Ivysaur, use Vine Whip!" called Assunta.

From beneath the plant on its back, two long green vines shot out and raced towards Charmander.

"Counter it with Slash!" ordered Damian.

The four small claws on each of Charmander's hands grew in length and glowed white. Charmander swiped both hands and knocked the two vines out of the air.

"Alright then," said Assunta "We'll just change tactics. Ivysaur, use a Tackle attack."

Ivysaur's vines retreated back beneath the plant on its back, and then the grass type Pokémon charged towards Charmander, its head lowered.

"Charminder, use Ember!" shouted Damian.

Charmander grabbed its tail and waved it about. A shower of fiery embers filled the air and shot towards Ivysaur.

"Dodge it!" shouted Assunta.

Ivysaur stopped charging but instead managed to use the momentum it had built up to throw itself to the side, narrowly avoiding the fire type attack.

Ivysaur came to a stop near a window, through which a beam of sunlight was shining into the room. Assunta grinned and called out "Ivysaur, power up!"

Ivysaur dig its feet into the ground and braced its body. The leaves on its back began to glow as they absorbed the light of the sun.

"Use Dragon Rage, Charminder!" ordered Damian.

Again the flame on Charmander's tail increased in side. The fire type opened its mouth and the now familiar white ball of energy appeared there.

Charmander spat out the ball, just as Assunta called out "Unleash Solar Beam!"

Ivysaur pushed off of the ground with its hind legs, sticking them in the air while balancing its full weight onto its front legs. The flower bud on its back opened slightly and a whitish yellow glow came from within. A beam of light suddenly shot across the battlefield. It passed through Charmander's Dragon Rage attack and rendered it into nothingness. Then the beam hit Charmander with its full force and the small fire type was thrown across the battlefield by the following blast. It sailed by its trainers head and crashed into the wall behind him before dropping to the ground.

"Now finish this with Tackle!" shouted Assunta.

Her Ivysaur charged across the battlefield once again, aiming right for Charmander.

"Charminder, use Dig!" shouted Damian.

Charmander's eyes shot open. The small Pokémon sprang into the air before diving towards the ground. It rapidly dug a hole and vanished from view.

Assunta's Ivysaur skidded to a halt as its opponent disappeared. Moments later the ground beneath Ivysaur broke apart and Charmander forced its way out of the ground, knocking Ivysaur back.

"Now use Slash!" ordered Damian.

The claws on Charmander's right hand elongated and it swiped at Ivysaur, landing a nasty blow on its side.

As the grass type staggered backwards, Damian called out "Now finish this with Ember."

Once more Charmander grabbed its tail and waved it about, creating a cloud of fiery embers which quickly enveloped Ivysaur.

The grass type Pokémon cried out in pain before collapsing.

Don George called out "Assunta's Ivysaur is no longer able to continue battling. Therefore this round and the battle as a whole go to Damian and his Charmander."

In the cafeteria, Damian's friends were whooping and cheering loudly.

"He didn't lose a single Pokémon throughout the entire battle." said Ash in disbelief.

"He certainly understood when to call for a move and when to switch his Pokémon out for another." commented Misty.

By now Damian's friends were leaving the room to go and congratulate him. Assunta's friends were leaving as well, presumably to go and offer their condolences.

Ritchie stood up suddenly and announced "Excuse me, but I think I have some serious training to get back to."

"Me too." said Robyn, getting up and leaving.

Watching their two friends leave, Ash and Misty could not help noticing when both Ritchie and Robyn took out the pokéball that contained their respective starter Pokémon.

Misty sighed before getting up and saying "I guess we'd better get down to some training as well."

"You go on ahead," said Ash "I've got some thinking to do."

"Okay," said Misty, sounding a little worried about him "I'll be in the pool with my Pokémon."

Ash watched her leave before he got up and made his way over to a large set of windows that led out onto a balcony which overlooked one of the lawns outside. He leaned up against the railings and took a deep breath of fresh air. Looking down he could see two children playing about with a Rattata as a pair of Caterpie crawled about between the stalks of the flowers.

Pikachu hopped up onto his shoulder and stayed there. Ash reached for his belt and took off the four pokéballs stored there. He held them out before him and thought carefully.

_Pikachu, Nidoran, Mankey, Butterfree and Pidgeotto. We sure are a long way off from the skill level shown by those two trainers and their Pokémon…_

"So young Ash, did you enjoy the battle?" a voice interrupted his thoughts.

Ash turned and saw that Don George was standing next to him.

"I did," replied Ash "But it's just got me thinking…" he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"You're wondering about your own strengths as a trainer and how to improve upon them, and well as your weak points." said Don George.

"Yeah," said Ash "It's just… that Damian guy…"

Don George nodded and said "He is a strong one. I'll give him that much. And he trains hard to get there, but don't put him up on a pedestal."

"But he won," said Ash "and Assunta didn't defeat a single one of his Pokémon. So whatever he is doing must be working."

"It is," replied Don George "But I've seen Damian's training style for myself and its rather… well, I suppose that intense is the best way to put it. I'm really not supposed to say this to anyone, but even though she lost today, Assunta is the better trainer of the two."

"How come?" asked Ash.

Don George pointed a group of people who were walking away from the building and said "That's her over there, with her friends. She's taking her Pokémon to the Pokémon centre. Damian on the other hand with brag to his friends for a bit and then set his Pokémon to work in the gymnasium once again."

Ash looked shocked at that "But his Pokémon… Weepinbell especially… It was paralysed!"

Don George gave a simple nod in reply "And now you see what I mean. To some Pokémon are their friends and partners. To others they are just tools to battle with. Which kind do you want to be?"

"The first," answered Ash without preamble "Definitely the first kind."

"Then you and I are going to get on just fine." said the manager of the Battle Club "Now then, why don't you show me what Pokémon you have aside from this Pikachu and we can go about setting them set up on the appropriate equipment, hmm?"

Ash opened the four pokéballs in his hand and out came his Nidoran, Mankey, Butterfree and Pidgeotto.

Don George nodded thoughtfully and said "Quite a varied collection you have already. For now I would suggest a warm up for each of them. Pikachu, Nidoran and Mankey should do some gentle jogging on the treadmills just to start building up some muscle. And we have an aerial agility course that would do wonders for Butterfree and Pidgeotto's flying skills."

After getting Pikachu, Nidoran and Mankey running on the treadmills alongside Robyn's Bulbasaur and Nidoran and Ritchie's Charmander and Pikachu, Ash followed Don George over to another room. Inside that room, hanging from the ceiling were a collection of hoops, some large and some small, and they in a variety of colours as well, some red, some blue, some green and the rest yellow.

"The purpose of this room is pretty simple," explained Don George "Your flying type Pokémon go around flying through the hoops in order to increase their aerial agility. Obviously the smaller the hoop the more accurate your Pokémon has to be, though I will point out that only Pokémon smaller than your Pidgeotto and Butterfree will fit through the green hoops."

Ash looked up and saw a trainer's Spearow tuck its wing in and swoop through a green hoop. A pair of Pidgey were also doing the same.

Suddenly Ritchie's Beedrill buzzed by, flying through a blue hoop and a moment later another Pokémon, this one a Butterfree flew through one of the red hoops.

"Whose Butterfree is that?" asked Ash.

"That would be mine," said Robyn stepping forward.

"Why is it pink? I thought that all Butterfree have blue bodies." said Ash.

Robyn gave a shrug and said "I don't know. I thought it might be because mine's a girl, but when I got here I found out that Butterfree are all usually the same colour."

Ash's Butterfree flapped past him and followed after Robyn's one.

Don George chuckled and said "Looks like your Butterfree's got its sights set on getting itself a girlfriend, Ash."

Robyn's cheeks flamed red, but Ash didn't notice. Instead he just said "Maybe. Or maybe it just wants to make a new friend. Boys and girls can be friends, right Robyn?"

"Umm, yes," replied Robyn, though she did not look at him as she answered.

Don George broke out into a full laugh and said "Oh, to be young and innocent again."

"Right," said Ash, sounding unsure. He turned to Pidgeotto "How about you, Pidgeotto? You wanna show the other birds here how it should be done?"

Pidgeotto puffed itself up proudly and took flight. She looped around the room and successfully passed through every single hoop she came across. Except the small green ones of course.

* * *

**A/N: So how was that? Some people have complained that the battles so far have been too slow paced. My only explanation for this is that it is very hard to write a battle where each Pokémon knows one of maybe two moves each and keep it exciting. I think I made a good job writing a battle between more experienced trainers here however. Also a dialogue between those watching also helps break it up a little, as well as pace it. So far it has been only Misty and Pikachu on the side lines, so the opportunities to include little comments from that quarter have been limited.**

**Yes, the male trainer who took part in the battle is the same Damian who owned the Charmander eventually got. As part of improving the plot surrounding Ash and Charmander I will be including Damian more, but he will not be a major rival, more a reoccurring opponent, if that makes sense. The choices for his other two Pokémon are based on nothing and were chosen at random. I tried to write his accent, but I don't think it worked to well.**

**For those of you wondering, yes Assunta did appear in the original anime. She is the trainer who beats Ritchie at the Pokémon league in the battle after he beat Ash. Her Pokémon then were Ivysaur, Rhydon, Venomoth and either Spearow or Tentacool (it's never made clear which.) She too will pop up now and again, and is planned to appear in the league tournament, if we ever get that far, though I will not reveal in what capacity. The unusual pokéballs that she used were indeed Safari Balls, and when Ash goes there and gets his Tauros it will be in a Safari Ball and will remain as such, rather than inexplicably changing.**

**And yes, Robyn's Butterfree is the Pink Butterfree from the anime that Ash's Butterfree goes off to mate with. I'm not gonna sugar coat it; both will leave in this story as well. However they will return. It is planned to happen during the Orange Islands series, when they arrive at that island containing all the bug Pokémon (you know the one, it's where Ash tried to capture another Caterpie before Misty dragged him off. And I'm also pretty sure that it's where Tracey caught his Scyther.) Anyway, I gave it to Robyn as I thought that it would mean more to have Ash's Butterfree to leave with one belonging to his friend.**

**Anyway, that's it for now, stay tuned for more!**


	11. The Club Battle Tournament Begins

**There was a good response to the last chapter. Thankfully I seem to have handled the Battle Club sufficiently. That's a good thing as we're going to be there for at least three more "episodes" and perhaps four even. This is for reasons that will be established in this chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy it – quite a few new moves are going to be learnt here.**

* * *

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 10: The Club Battle Tournament Begins

"Mankey!" Ash shouted out to his fighting type Pokémon "You'll have to jump for this one!"

He threw a red coloured clay disc into the air. Mankey sprang into the air and broke the disc apart with a Scratch attack.

"Nice going!" Ash cheered his Pokémon "Alright, Pikachu! Heads up!"

He threw another disc into the air and Pikachu eagerly jumped after it. The little electric type Pokémon twisted in mid-air and swung his lightning bolt shaped tail with everything that he had. The disc shattered with the blow.

"Well, well," said Don George coming over to them "It looks like your Pikachu has just begun perfecting the Slam attack."

"Really?" asked Ash "That's so cool Pikachu! You learned a new move!"

"Pika Pikachu!" replied his starter Pokémon happily.

"How about you, Mankey? Are you ready to learn a new move?"

"Man!" replied Mankey, eagerly.

"Okay," said Ash, throwing another disc "Let's see what you've got!"

Mankey jumped up into the air and this time instead of swiping at the disc with his paw, he struck it with a downwards blow with the side of his opened hand.

"That's Karate Chop." announced Don George "That's a pretty strong move that can sometimes land critical blows."

"This is great!" said Ash "Two of my Pokémon have learned new moves, and we've only been training here for a day!"

Don George nodded and said "The Battle Club is the perfect place for Pokémon to learn and perfect new moves, as well as practice increasing their power, defences and speed. Let's leave these two to perfect their new moves and see how the others are doing."

Ash followed Don George out of the room. Behind them, Pikachu used his tail to pick up a clay disc and threw it for Mankey to strike down with Karate Chop. Mankey then took another disc and threw it for Pikachu to break apart with Slam.

In the next room, Ritchie was busy training with his Charmander, Pikachu and Poliwag. Along one side of the room, there was a display of wooden scenery depicting a hill, a tree, two large boulders and a group of white flowers. From behind each of these, a target would spring out at random, and the Pokémon had to hit them before they disappeared. This was to help Pokémon with the timing of their attacks as well as their aim.

Ritchie's Charmander was practicing using Ember, his Pikachu with Thunder Wave and his Poliwag with Water Gun. Every time one of the Pokémon landed a blow, a bell would sound and the machine in the corner tallied up the total score by each Pokémon. On the machine there was a set of red lights, a set of yellow lights and a set of blue lights. Every time Charmander scored a hit, a red light would light up. Every time Pikachu scored a hit, a yellow light would light up and every time Poliwag scored a hit, a blue light would light up.

"How's it going?" asked Ash.

"Their aim is definitely improving." replied Ritchie "And they're all getting much quicker at responding as well."

A target went up and Charmander scored the hit.

"Wow," said Ash "That was fast."

"It certainly was," agreed Ritchie "Poliwag's the one who's winning the game, though."

"And who has won the most games?" asked Don George.

"That would be Pikachu," said Ritchie "He's won four games. Charmander has won three. If he wins this game, it'll be the first win for Poliwag."

"So Poliwag is finally catching up to your other Pokémon." said Don George "That's good to see. You'll be challenging Brock in no time."

"I hope so," replied Ritchie "We've got to get a lot more training in first though. I want Poliwag to be able to handle the whole battle, but the other three need to be able to hold their own, just in case."

Another target went up and this time it was Poliwag who scored the hit.

Ash and Don George left Ritchie to it.

In the next room Robyn was overseeing her Bulbasaur, Nidoran and Ash's Nidoran as they bounded along on a treadmill. As opposed to the ones set at a slight uphill climb that they were all using yesterday, this treadmill was a special one that featured a small hurdle. Every time it came around, the Pokémon were expected to jump over it, something that they were now doing very well at.

Robyn herself was not just standing and watching. She had changed into a pair of black shorts and a red t-shirt and was jogging along on a treadmill near to the Pokémon.

"Come on, Ketchum!" she shouted to him "Get jogging!"

"Maybe later," replied Ash "I'm going to check on Pidgeotto and Butterfree."

Ash and Don George came to the room containing the aerial agility course where Ash's Butterfree and Pidgeotto were once again in the company of Robyn's Butterfree and Ritchie's Beedrill as they all practiced their aerial acrobat skills as they swerved, swooped, dived and looped through the many different hoops that were either hanging from the ceiling or were mounted on the walls of the room.

Pidgeotto and Beedrill seemed to be locked in some kind of race. The two Butterfree, on the other hand, appeared to be content with flying along side by side at a more sedate pace.

"You guys doing okay?" Ash called out to them.

Each Pokémon cried back enthusiastically.

So far the time spent in the Pewter City Battle Club had been hugely worth it. All of the Pokémon seemed to be getting faster, stronger and more agile, with better reflexes. Each Pokémon was clearly enjoying each activity that it engaged in, each relishing the chance to improve upon their strengths and learn new skills.

Robyn entered the room, a white towel wrapped around her shoulders and a bottle of fresh water in her hand.

"Wow. Those guys are really getting good," she said, referring to the flying Pokémon racing around through the loops above them.

"Yeah, they are." replied Ash "I wonder how Misty is getting on down at the pool."

They went down to the pool room where Misty was training with her water type Pokémon.

Misty was wearing a two piece swim suit, red in colour but with white stripes on the sides. She was in the larger pool with her Pokémon, guiding her Magikarp around the pool as her Staryu and Poliwag swam around in circles, each taking turns to try and strike the other while the other did its best to dodge.

Sparring like this, both of those Pokémon had already learned a new move. Staryu had perfected the Swift attack, whereas Poliwag had come to utilise its tail for the Double Slap attack.

Magikarp, sadly, was failing to keep up. The Fish Pokémon knew only Splash and Tackle, with Splash being a completely useless move that was incapable of doing anything at all. According to Misty, that was all Magikarp would ever learn unless it evolved, and that did not seem like something the water type appeared to be set to do at any point in the near future.

Misty trained Magikarp intensely every chance she got. She loved all water Pokémon, but unless it evolved there was little to no chance of Magikarp ever becoming a powerful asset to her team of water types.

Ritchie suddenly came running into the room, clutching a piece of rolled up paper and called out "Hey, guys! Did you see this poster?"

"No," replied Ash "What does it say?"

Ritchie unrolled the poster and read out "Don George and the Pewter City Battle Club are proud to present The Club Battle Tournament. This tournament is for newer trainers who are eager to experience tournament battling. Entry requires a minimum of one Pokémon, but there is no limit on how many you use throughout the tournament. To sign up, please see the reception desk."

"Wow," exclaimed Misty "That sounds so cool."

"I'm entering." stated Ash.

"Me too." agreed Robyn "I wonder if there's a prize?"

Ritchie examined the poster and read out "First prize it a gift pack containing essential items for trainers, including five Great Balls, six Revives, ten Full Heals and ten Super Potions."

"Sounds good," commented Misty "I'm in."

"Same here," said Ritchie "Come on, let's sign up."

They all collected their Pokémon from the various rooms and then headed over to the reception desk.

"Excuse me," said Ash to the woman sitting behind the desk "We're here to sign up for the Club Battle Tournament."

"You're in luck," replied the woman "We have five places left to fill before the tournament begins this afternoon."

"It starts this afternoon?" asked Robyn in surprise.

"It certainly does," replied the woman "Sixteen trainers will battle it out this afternoon, with the eight winners having their next battles tomorrow morning. The four winners of those battles will have their next battle tomorrow afternoon, with the final taking place the following morning."

"Oh man," exclaimed Ash "We gotta go practice some more!"

He turned to hurry off, but the woman called out "Hold on! I need to know which Pokémon you plan on entering with."

Although there would only be four rounds of one-on-one battles, Ash chose to register all five of his Pokémon so that he was free to pick and choose which one he wanted to use in which situation.

Robyn registered all three of her Pokémon and Ritchie registered all four of his. Misty contemplated not including Magikarp in her line up, but in the end she registered it anyway, figuring that this would be as good a chance as any to try and make some form of improvement to its battle prowess.

Just as they were leaving the reception room, the main doors to the building opened and a voice called out "Oi, you. Reception lady. I wanna register for the tournament this afternoon."

The group turned around and saw that the trainer who had just entered was Damian.

The receptionist was clearly not impressed by his referring to her in such a way, but registered him anyway.

"I thought that this tournament was going to be for beginning trainers." Misty said quietly.

"Not necessarily," said Don George, who had just come up behind them "While most of those participating will be newer trainers, there will be some more experienced trainers there as well. They're permitted to enter so long as they use weaker Pokémon, perhaps ones that they've only just caught and begun to train. I would imagine that Damian would want to make use of his Charmander after what he considered to be a poor performance from it against Assunta yesterday. And he may well have other newer Pokémon to enter with as well."

"He'll be a tough opponent," observed Robyn "Especially with that Charmander on his side."

Ash frowned. He didn't like his chances against Damian. He'd have to figure out which of his Pokémon would put up the best fight if he and Damian were to ever meet in battle.

* * *

That afternoon the tournament began. Instead of taking place on one of the indoor battlefields which were regularly used by trainers, this tournament was taking place in an outdoor arena located at the rear of the battle club. The battlefield at the centre was a plain dirt area with the usual white markings in place.

On the south side of the battlefield, and to the west and east end, there were many seats rising up on five levels. All of these seats were full, and it appeared as if everyone in Pewter City and the surrounding area had gathered there to watch the battles that would take place there. The north side was home to a gigantic screen where the scoreboard and close up shots of the battle would appear. Below that was a table with seats for two match commentators to sit at.

Both seats were currently empty.

Ash, Misty, Robyn and Ritchie were all gathered with the other trainers to the right of the commentators' table. Ash was disappointed to find that Gary had apparently decided to not bother with entering the tournament. They might have been rivals, but Ash would have liked to have seen what Pokémon Gary had caught since their last encounter.

All around the battlefield there stood cameramen with their cameras, accompanied by audio technicians holding boom microphones. Apparently this was going to be broadcast on television.

Ash wondered if his mother would be watching.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" came the unmistakable voice of Don George.

Ash turned and saw that the commentators' seats had been filled.

"Allow me," Don George continued "to welcome you all to the Pewter City Club Battle Tournament. My name is Don George and I will be commentating for this tournament. And I am here with Brock, the leader of the Pewter City Gym who has kindly consented to join us here today!"

"Thank you!" came Brock's voice "It's a pleasure to be here to observe some of the new talent coming through. I'm sure that today we will get a glimpse of just some of the great trainers of tomorrow in action!"

A huge cheer went up from the crowd as the audience made their appreciation of their local Gym Leader known.

Don George picked up the thread, "Today's tournament will begin with sixteen trainers facing off against one another for the right to compete in the top eight rounds which will take place tomorrow morning. If you would like to direct your attention to the screen above us, the matchups for this first round are about to be announced."

All eyes turned to the large screen where the faces of each of the participating trainers were shown. A computer then randomly switched the pictures around before moving them into pairs.

"Okay then," announced Don George "It looks like our first battle will be Ash versus Travis."

"I'm up first." muttered Ash as he took his eyes off of the scoreboard and looked over at the real Travis, who was a boy slightly older than him and was wearing an outfit that would suit a fisherman.

"Next," continued Don George "We will have Calvin against Warren, followed by Misty against Marty."

Misty glanced over to her opponent who for some inexplicable reason was dressed as a sailor.

"What the-?" she wondered aloud, though only so the other three could hear her.

"The fourth battle will see Lewis battling A.J. with the fifth battle featuring Ritchie against Rita."

Ritchie turned to look at his opponent, a girl in a girl guides costume.

"The sixth battle will be Damian against Clark…"

Damian didn't even acknowledge his opponent, a small boy who was dressed in his school uniform, apparently having come directly from there to compete.

"The seventh battle will see Giles battling Becky. And the eighth and final battle of the round will see Robyn face off against Molly."

"I'm last up," said Robyn, turning to look as Molly, a girl with brown hair and who wore an orange blouse with a red ribbon and a green skirt.

"Now, will the first two trainers please make their way onto the battlefield." said Brock.

The other three wished Ash luck as he and Travis both made their way onto the battlefield.

A male referee in an orange shirt met them and directed them to take their positions on different sides of the battlefield, with Ash being classed as the red trainer and Travis as the green trainer.

Once both were in position, the referee announced "This battle is about to begin. Will both trainers please send out the Pokémon that they wish to battle with?"

Ash took out a pokéball and threw it, calling out "Nidoran, I choose you!"

On the opposite side of the battlefield, Travis too threw out a pokéball with a shout of "Krabby, you're up!"

Both pokéballs snapped open and the two Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.

Krabby was a small, crab like Pokémon with a red body and claws, and a cream coloured underside and legs.

On the side lines, Robyn took out her Pokédex in order to find out more about Ash and Nidoran's opponent.

**Krabby, the River Crab Pokémon. They live on sandy beaches in burrows that they dig themselves. Krabby can grow back its pincers should they ever break off in battle. The pincers are powerful weapons, and are also used by Krabby for balance.**

"So Ash has chosen to go for Nidoran while Travis has gone for Krabby. Two interesting choices, don't you think Brock?" asked Don George.

"Very interesting," agreed Brock "Neither Pokémon has any particular advantage over the other in terms of type, so this battle will be all about the skill of battle."

"If we could all turn our attention to the screen where the coin flip will determine which trainer gets to go first…" said Don George.

On the screen a large golden coin with an image of a Magikarp on the front and a pokéball on the back appeared on a black backdrop. The coin flipped and landed with the image of the Magikarp facing upwards. At the same time, the black backdrop turned red.

"There it is," said Don George "The red trainer gets the first move."

"Are both trainers ready?" asked the referee.

Ash and Travis both nodded.

"Begin!"

Ash wasted no time in getting things started "Alright Nidoran, use Horn Attack."

Nidoran reared up onto his hind legs and cried out as the horn on his head took on a white glow and elongated. Then Nidoran landed back down on all fours and charged towards Krabby.

Travis was more than prepared for this however and he called out for a counter move.

"Krabby, use Bubble."

From its mouth Krabby spat a stream of bubbles that spread out across the battlefield in a wide arc.

Nidoran tried to stop itself from charging into the flurry of bubbles, but was quickly surrounded by them. The Poison Pin Pokémon slipped and crashed to the ground where the bubbles enveloped it quickly, hiding it from view.

"That was a good first move by Travis and his Krabby," commented Brock "Ash and Nidoran went for a full scale physical blow, and Krabby's Bubble attack was able to put a complete stop to it."

Some of the bubbles popped out of existence, revealing both of Nidoran's long ears.

"Now Krabby, use Vicegrip." ordered Travis.

Krabby jumped towards Nidoran and trapped one of its ears in one of its sharp pincers.

Nidoran gave a yelp of pain and began frantically trying to throw Krabby off by flailing about wildly, popping most of the remaining bubbles in the process.

"Uh oh!" said Misty "That's not good for Ash. Vicegrip is a pretty strong move and Nidoran shaking about like that can only be doing more harm than good."

"Ash will think of a way to get Krabby to let go." said Robyn confidently.

"Nidoran!" Ash called out to his Pokémon "Use Tackle!"

Nidoran stopped flailing about and instead put his full force into a sudden sideways movement that delivered a heavy blow to Krabby. The River Crab Pokémon was slightly stunned by the blow and its hold on Nidoran's ear slipped a little but it did not let go.

However it was more than enough for Ash to call out his next move.

"Nidoran, jump up and use Double Kick!"

The poison type Pokémon put a great effort into jumping above Krabby. Then, once the water type Pokémon was directly below it, Nidoran swung his back legs violently landing first one and then two kicks to Krabby's shell-covered body.

Krabby relinquished its hold on Nidoran and scuttled away from it, reeling from the double blow.

"That was quite a surprising turn there by Ash," observed Don George.

"Yes, Nidoran managed to not only throw off Krabby but also do some heavy damage at the same time." added Brock "This may have just changed the flow of this battle completely."

"Oh man, that was such a cool move!" said Ritchie excitedly.

Misty, Robyn and Pikachu all nodded in agreement, their eyes not leaving the battlefield.

"Alright," said Ash eagerly "Nidoran, use Poison Sting!"

Nidoran turned its back to its opponent and then reared up on its hind legs. On its back the collection of ten spikes all took on a nasty purple glow. From this a flurry of small purple needles were suddenly released.

"Krabby protect yourself with Harden!" shouted Travis.

Krabby crossed its pincers in front of itself as though bracing itself against the oncoming attack. At the same time its body took on a very slight glow.

The collection of purple needles slammed into Krabby. The water type Pokémon did well to resist the blow, but the fact that it was clearly pushed back a couple of inches by the attack was a clear indication of the force that hit it.

"Krabby!" Travis shouted worriedly to his Pokémon "You okay?"

Krabby raised its two pincers and gave a defiant cry. This cry however quickly became one of pain as a crackle of purple energy shot across its body. Krabby slumped onto the ground, breathing heavily.

"And Krabby has been poisoned by Nidoran's Poison Sting!" announced Don George "That will really tip the balance heavily in Ash's favour."

"We're not beaten yet!" shouted Travis "Krabby use Bubble again!"

Krabby pushed itself to stand up and spat a wave of bubbles at Nidoran, but Ash was more than ready.

"Use Poison Sting one more time!"

Once again Nidoran turned its back to the opposing Pokémon and shot a flurry of purple needles from the spikes on its back.

The needles shot through the bubbles, popping each one as they themselves burst from the impact.

Another crackle of purple energy coursed through Krabby's body as the effects of the poisoning weakened it still further.

"Now use Horn Attack!" ordered Ash.

Horn once again surrounded by a white glow, Nidoran charged towards Krabby who by this point was simply too weak to defend itself, despite calls from its trainer to use Harden.

Nidoran delivered its blow to Krabby and the water type Pokémon was thrown back. It crashed to the ground several feet away and did not get back up.

The referee raised his flags and announced "Krabby is unable to battle. Nidoran wins. Ash will continue on to the next round!"

Cheers went out across the stadium as Nidoran turned and jumped up into Ash's arms for a hug. Opposite them a dejected Travis recalled Krabby to its pokéball and then walked off of the battlefield.

"I think that we can all agree that that was a stellar performance from both trainers in this first battle." said Don George.

"Absolutely," agreed Brock "One trainer lost, but both should be proud of the fight that their respective Pokémon put up. I hope that the second battle will be just as exciting."

"Will the next two trainers please step onto the battlefield?" said Don George.

"Wow, Ash that was amazing!" exclaimed Robyn as Ash and Nidoran joined her and the others on the side-lines.

"Thanks," said Ash "That Krabby was a tough opponent, but I knew that Nidoran would come through for me."

He patted Nidoran on the head and the small poison type Pokémon practically purred with affection.

There was the sound of someone chuckling nearby and they all turned to see that it was Damian.

"If you've got something to say then say it!" demanded Ash.

Damian smirked at him and said "It ain't nothin' really. Just that if ya found that weak li'l Krabby to be tough then you oughta jus' drop outta this tournament righ' now. Cuz there ain't no way you're gettin' to the final round with that kinda performance."

"What?" asked Ash heatedly, but a hand on each shoulder stopped him.

"Cool it Ash." said Misty.

"Yeah," agreed Robyn "Rising to his bait is just what he wants."

"Pika." said Pikachu by way of agreement.

"Nido." put in Nidoran.

Damian chuckled again and turned away.

"That jerk." muttered Ash.

"Just ignore him." said Misty.

"Ash, you'd better pay attention to this battle." said Ritchie in an attempt to divert Ash's attention elsewhere "Whoever wins will be the person that you face in the next round."

"Yeah," agreed Ash turning towards the battlefield "You're right."

Out on the battlefield Calvin and Warren had taken up their positions, Calvin at the red end and Warren at the green end.

The referee again called for both trainers to send out their Pokémon.

Calvin, a small boy in blue shorts, a white t-shirt and a blue baseball cap chose a Spearow, a Pokémon that Ash was by now more than familiar with. Warren however sent out a Pokémon that Ash had seen before, but only in battles that he had seen on television, as well as in a couple of books. He took out his Pokédex to find out more.

**Raticate, the Rat Pokémon, is the evolved form of Rattata. It uses its whiskers for balance. Raticate can gnaw on anything using its tough fangs, even concrete buildings. If attacked it stands up on its hind legs, bears its teeth and hisses intimidatingly at the opponent.**

"Sounds like a tough opponent." stated Ritchie.

"I gotta say my money is on that one." added Robyn.

The coin flip allowed the green side to go first.

"Raticate, use Quick Attack!" ordered Warren without preamble.

Raticate, a large, light brown, rat-like Pokémon hissed and charged across the battlefield, leaving a silvery white trail behind it.

Calvin called out to his Spearow "Use Double Team!"

With a cry, Spearow flew up and its body shifted rapidly and a series of several other Spearow appeared. Raticate shot straight at one of these and it vanished. The other fakes and the real one flew about, hiding the real one from view.

"Now use Fury Attack." said Calvin.

The real Spearow and its doubles all dive-bombed onto Raticate and began to inflict repeated pecks on Raticate's body, although only the real one was actually doing any damage.

"Feel out the real one and use Hyper Fang." ordered Warren.

Raticate stood its ground, bracing itself against the repeated blows being inflicted upon it. Then, quite suddenly, it turned and lunged at one of the Spearow.

All of the others disappeared as the real Spearow was caught between Raticate's large teeth. It flailed about, trying to break free, but Raticate's jaws were too strong and the Rat Pokémon simply bit down harder.

After a few moments Spearow stopped moving.

Raticate opened its mouth wide and the flying type Pokémon fell to the floor.

The referee raised his flags and announced "Spearow is unable to battle. Raticate wins. That means that Warren will be advancing to the next round."

"That was so quick." commented Misty as the crowd in the stadium broke out into cheers.

"Yikes." said Ritchie.

"Yeah." agreed Ash, looking worried.

"There you have it folks," said Don George "The second battle is over, and in record time to boot. Okay, will the next two trainers please step onto the battlefield?"

"That's me." said Misty, stepping forwards.

"Good luck." said Ash.

Misty quickly took up her position in the red corner as her opponent, Marty, took up his position opposite her.

"I wonder what her opponent's Pokémon will be." Robyn pondered aloud.

"We'll soon find out." said Ash.

"Trainers, choose your Pokémon!" the referee called out.

Misty took out a pokéball and kissed the top of it before throwing it out onto the battlefield. Surprisingly it was Magikarp.

"What the-?" exclaimed Ritchie.

"Why go with Magikarp?" asked Robyn "She didn't even want to register it in the tournament in the first place."

"She's trying to train it up though," said Ash "Maybe she's just using it now because if she gets knocked out now it won't matter. Doing so later would just be an insult to any other Pokémon she uses."

Misty's opponent, Marty, threw out a pokéball of his own and his choice of Pokémon appeared on the battlefield. It was a jellyfish-like creature, with a large blue body, with two large red crystals on either side of its body, and one in the middle at the front. It had two small eyes and was balancing itself on two brown-grey coloured tentacles.

"That's a Tentacool." said Robyn "They're meant to be dangerous." she looked to Ash and Ritchie "Do you remember summer last year when we couldn't go down to the beach and swim?"

"Yeah," said Ash "It was because of a bunch of Tentacool, right?"

Robyn nodded and said "For some reason they swarmed together and came much closer to land than is normal. When they're in the water, you usually don't know that they're there until you get stung by one."

Ash took out his Pokédex.

**Tentacool, the Jellyfish Pokémon. Tentacool usually drift along in the sea, and deliver poisonous stings to any potential prey that swims by. They often poison fishermen who catch them by mistake, and have been known to sting careless swimmers. Ninety nine percent of its body is made up of water.**

"So it's a water type and a poison type," said Ash, lowering his Pokédex and looking back out onto the battlefield "I wonder how well Magikarp will do against it."

The coin flip determined that Marty would get the first move, and he wasted no time in calling out "Alright, Tentacool! Let's see a Water Gun attack!"

From below its blue body, Tentacool shot a jet of water that rocketed over the battlefield and drenched Magikarp.

It looked like it had been a powerful blow, but Magikarp simply flopped about lamely on the ground, almost looking as if it had been completely unaffected by the attack, even though it must have been.

"Magikarp seems to have shrugged that attack off completely." observed Don George.

"Though we could be wrong." added Brock "It can be hard to tell with Magikarp.

"And that's how you take an attack!" said Misty confidently "Okay Magikarp, now use Tackle!"

Magikarp seemed to put a bit more effort into its flopping about and struggled across the battlefield towards Tentacool.

Marty was ready though and called out "Tentacool, use Constrict."

Once Magikarp came within reach of it, Tentacool reached out with its two tentacles, wrapped them around Magikarp and began to squeeze.

"That's not good." said Ash.

"Magikarp's attack was stopped completely." said Robyn.

Misty seemed unperturbed, however, and simply called out "Magikarp keep trying to use Tackle."

"Keep Constricting it Tentacool." ordered Marty.

Tentacool kept its tentacles wrapped firmly around Magikarp and continued to squeeze as Magikarp flopped about trying to attack.

"And there seems to be a problem with Misty's battling style," observed Don George "Her Magikarp seems to be incapable of doing anything at all at the moment."

"With only Tackle and Splash in its arsenal, any Magikarp would find this situation tricky." added Brock.

"Nothing's working." said Ritchie.

"It's not over yet." said Ash "Magikarp can still do something. It just needs to get into the right position."

Magikarp was still flopping about, with Tentacool refusing to let go.

"Come on Magikarp!" Misty shouted encouragingly "You can do it!"

And miraculously, it did.

Magikarp's tail hit the ground at just the right angle and with just the right amount of force to give Tentacool a violent shove. The Jellyfish Pokémon overbalanced and toppled into its back. Its tentacles flipped upwards and loosened their grip on Magikarp, launching the Fish Pokémon into the air.

"Unbelievable!" shouted Don George "Magikarp has successfully worked itself free of Tentacool's grasp and taken to the air!"

"I don't think any of us saw that coming." added Brock.

"That's perfect Magikarp!" Misty shouted "Now use Tackle!"

Using its tail to twist its body in the air, Magikarp turned so that it was facing downwards and plummeted towards Tentacool, who moments later got a face full of red scales.

"Keep going like we practiced!" shouted Misty.

With seemingly renewed vigour, Magikarp thrashed its tail down hard against the ground in order to become airborne again. Then it once again crashed down on top of Tentacool before repeating the process again.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Ash and Ritchie together.

"I didn't think Magikarp had that in it." said Robyn.

"Clearly Misty has trained her Magikarp well," said Don George "That's four consecutive Tackle attacks in a row… now it's five… six…"

"Marty had better think up something quick before his Tentacool gets hammered into the ground." observed Brock.

A seventh Tackle attack landed on Tentacool, followed by an eighth before Marty managed to pull himself together and call out "Poison Sting, Tentacool!"

As Magikarp went airborne again, Tentacool twisted itself around and shot a series of purple needles from its tentacles at Magikarp.

The poisonous needles hit their mark and Magikarp was thrown away from Tentacool.

"And there it is," said Brock "the counter strike."

"Has Magikarp been poisoned though?" asked Don George.

Magikarp was once again flopping about seemingly aimlessly on the ground. Apart from a slight bruise where the poisonous attack had landed, Magikarp appeared to be fine.

"It seems that Magikarp's scales were able to protect it from that side effect." said Brock.

"One cannot help but wonder just what Misty plans on doing now that her Magikarp is no longer close enough to Tentacool to make good use of its Tackle attack" said Don George.

"Tentacool, use Water Gun." ordered Marty.

Once again Tentacool shot a powerful spray of water towards Magikarp.

"Dodge it!" ordered Misty.

Magikarp managed to flop out of the way of the attack, causing it to splash harmlessly onto the dirt battlefield, leaving a patch of mud.

"Tentacool, try a Poison Sting!" shouted Marty.

Tentacool raised its tentacles and shot another collection of purple needles at Magikarp.

Misty had a plan in mind though and called out "Magikarp, get into the mud and use Splash!"

Magikarp flopped its body into the muddy patch of ground and began to flop about with extra vigour.

Although the Splash attack was famous worldwide for doing absolutely nothing at all, in this case it produced a surprising and highly useful side effect.

As its body flailed about uselessly, it did manage to kick up a lot of the mud. Tentacool's Poison Sting attack collided with this mud and effectively neutralised.

"And would you look at that!" exclaimed Don George "By making use of a change in the surface of the battlefield, Misty and her Magikarp have been able to turn a completely useless move into an effective counter for Tentacool's Poison Sting attack!"

"Now that's strategy!" said Robyn, clearly impressed.

"Wow," said Ash "Trust a water type specialist to bring out a Magikarp's true power."

The entire stadium watched as the cycle repeated itself once again before their eyes. In an attempt to get back at Magikarp, Marty had his Tentacool use Water Gun. Misty had her Magikarp dodge again, resulting in more mud. Marty called for a Poison Sting attack, but Magikarp blocked the attack but Splashing about in the mud again.

"Of course!" exclaimed Ash "I get it now."

"Care to explain it to the rest of us?" asked Ritchie.

"Misty knows that her Magikarp is only so good so long as it is close enough to Tentacool to land a Tackle attack. But she also knows that it is too slow to get close enough on its own, so she is trying to make Marty have Tentacool move in closer by making both Water Gun and Poison Sting ineffective."

"But Marty won't send his Tentacool in closer as he knows that it'll mean that Magikarp can actually attack." said Robyn.

"Then it's just a matter of who's patience lasts the longest." said Ritchie.

Ash nodded in agreement and said "Either Marty will get fed up and order Tentacool to use Constrict, which with leave it open to attack from Magikarp, or Misty will give up and send Magikarp in to use Tackle, at which point Tentacool will probably finish it."

Misty was clearly enjoying herself as her Magikarp did an excellent job of dodging Tentacool's Water Gun and blocking Tentacool's Poison Sting, so there clearly was only going to be one outcome.

With two of Tentacool's attacks being rendered completely useless by Magikarp's antics, it wasn't long before Marty gave in and decided to just hope that using Constrict would pay off before Magikarp could get in a Tackle attack.

However, it was not to be. Whereas Magikarp's body allowed it to be perfectly at home wallowing about in the soaking wet mud, Tentacool's tentacles, capable of allowing it to swim in the sea or crawl across dry land simply slipped out from beneath it in the mud, causing the water and poison type Pokémon to fall face down into the mud.

Misty saw her chance and she took it.

"Alright Magikarp, it's time to end this! Use Tackle now!"

The mud allowing it to hold itself upright, Magikarp swished its tail from side to side. The slippery surface allowed Magikarp to speed up greatly, and it collided heavily with Tentacool, who was knocked clear out of the muddy patch of ground and landed on its back on top of the dirt.

"Tentacool is unable to battle, Magikarp wins." announced the referee, raising his flags "The trainer going through to tomorrow's round is Misty."

With an excited cheer, Misty ran out onto the battlefield, where she picked up her Magikarp and hugged it tightly to her.

She returned to the side lines where her friends congratulated her on her win as Don George called for the next two trainers to come out onto the battlefield.

Of the two new trainers, Lewis was dressed in a straw hat, string vest and blue shorts. A.J. had spikey green hair and was wearing an orange and black shirt.

The fourth battle did not take long. Lewis and his Paras put in a good effort, but despite suffering from a paralysis caused by Paras' Stun Spore attack, A.J's Sandshrew managed to get in a game changing move.

"Sandshrew!" shouted A.J. "Use Fissure!"

Sandshrew jumped up into the air and then dived towards the ground. It drove its right paw deep into the ground and a jagged line of light shot out ahead of it. From this line the battlefield literally tore apart, creating a massive fissure in the ground.

Paras disappeared into the Fissure and was completely lost from view.

After a few moments of silence, the referee approached the fissure to look in. One of the cameramen followed him. On the large screen an image showed the inside of the fissure. Paras was lying on a rocky ledge at least twenty feet below completely out of it.

The referee raised his flags and announced "Paras is unable to battle, Sandshrew wins. A.J. advances to the next round."

"And we're going to take a short break here in order to allow the battlefield to be put back together." announced Don George.

"Well that was terrifying." stated Robyn.

"You think that was terrifying?" asked Misty "I'm the one who has to face him in the next round!"

"Sandshrew is a ground type Pokémon though." said Ash "Your Staryu or Poliwag should handle it with ease, so long as you can strike it first."

"Knowing that you are a water type trainer might make him choose to not use Sandshrew at all." added Robyn.

The battlefield was quickly put right by the tournament officials, and then Ritchie and his opponent were called out onto the battlefield.

"Trainers send out your Pokémon." said the referee.

Ritchie took a pokéball and called out "Beedrill, let's go."

Opposite him Rita, still in her girl guides costume, took out a pokéball and threw it, calling out "Squirtle, you're up!"

The small blue Tiny Turtle Pokémon appeared opposite Ritchie's Beedrill.

"That'll be a tricky opponent." said Misty.

"I wonder who will win." said Ash.

* * *

**And if you wonder too, then you will have to wait until next time, when the exciting Club Battle Tournament will continue…**

**Okay, so it might be cruel to leave it there, but four of the first round battles seems like enough to be getting on with for now.**

**I hope you've enjoyed the tournament so far. It was great fun righting Ash and Nidoran's battle against Travis and his Krabby, and so was Misty and Magikarp's battle against Marty and his Tentacool.**

**Before anyone decides to point it out, yes I am well aware that Raticate is usually referred to as "The Mouse Pokémon" as opposed to "The Rat Pokémon" however in Generations 1 and 2 it actually was called "The Rat Pokémon" along with Rattata. This was changed for both of them in Generation three, making them "Mouse Pokémon" along with Pikachu, Raichu, Sandshrew and Sandslash. I don't know why they changed it, they just did. And I don't know why Sandshrew and Sandslash are called Mouse Pokémon, as they are clearly not based on mice but armadillos and pangolins. I can't justify it, and nor can anyone else, but I don't make the rules!**

**Also I must apologise. Before now I said that Pikachu would not learn a new move for a while and that Slam would belong to Ritchie's Pikachu. However the idea for this little tournament did not exist then and in planning it, it became necessary for Pikachu to have the move. And anyway, it was Take Down that was planned for Ritchie's Pikachu, not Slam, so my mistake!**


	12. Frenzied Fighting at the Battle Club

**And here we go with part two of the Pewter City Battle Club Tournament, starting with the four remaining battles of the first round. I hope you enjoy reading it.**

* * *

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 11: Frenzied Fighting at the Battle Tournament

"So for this battle Ritchie has decided to go with Beedrill whereas Rita has chosen Squirtle," commented Don George "This should prove to be an interesting battle, wouldn't you agree Brock?"

"It certainly looks that way," replied Brock "Neither Pokémon has a type advantage here, but I'm thinking that Beedrill's ability to fly around the battlefield may just give it the upper hand in this battle."

"Both trainers ready?" asked the referee.

Ritchie and Rita both nodded in confirmation.

"Begin!"

Ritchie wasted no time in getting things started.

"Alright Beedrill, power up with Focus Energy!"

Beedrill raised its front limbs towards the sky and buzzed its wings rapidly. Its red eyes lit up with a blue glow, which quickly spread across its body.

"And Beedrill has tightened its focus and strength, increasing its chances of landing a critical hit on its opponent," announced Don George.

"A smart move," added Brock "A critical hit could make all the difference in a battle like this one."

Rita wasn't even slightly put off by the display, and shouted to her Pokémon "Squirtle, use Water Gun!"

With a gurgled cry Squirtle spat a jet of water from its mouth towards Beedrill.

"Dodge it!" shouted Ritchie.

Beedrill took to the air, and easily rose above the jet of water.

"Now get in close and use Fury Attack!"

Beedrill swooped down towards Squirtle and began to rapidly jab the stingers on its two front limbs at Squirtle.

"Don't let it hit you!" shouted Rita.

Squirtle worked as quickly as it could, doing its best to duck and dodge every attempted blow form Beedrill, but Beedrill was too fast for Squirtle to avoid them all.

Beedrill had managed to land three blows when Ritchie called out "Now use Poison Sting!"

Beedrill pulled its arms back and aimed the stinger on its rear end at Squirtle. The stinger turned from yellow to purple and a drop of poison dripped from the end. Beedrill jabbed its stinger at Squirtle and landed a blow right beneath the Tiny Turtle Pokémon's chin.

A crackle of purple energy shot across Squirtle's body, indicating that it had been poisoned.

"Wow, what a hit." exclaimed Robyn.

"This could be it." said Misty.

"That's not gonna stop us!" said Rita "Squirtle, use Mega Punch!"

Blocking the pain from its poisoning from its mind, Squirtle raised its fist. The fist became surrounded by a white light and Squirtle swung with all its might, and landed a powerful blow against Beedrill, who was thrown backwards from the force of the strike.

Once again a crackle of purple energy shot across Squirtle's body as the poison did its job, but Rita ignored it.

Instead she shouted out "Now Squirtle, it's time for a Tackle attack!"

Squirtle charged across the battlefield with surprising speed towards the downed Beedrill.

"Get up and dodge it Beedrill!" shouted Ritchie.

Beedrill struggled into an upright position, but it was too late. Squirtle rammed its entire body forcefully into Beedrill's side, knocking the bug type Pokémon down into the dirt again.

"Ritchie had better think of something fast," said Ash "otherwise Beedrill isn't going to last much longer."

"Nor is Squirtle if that poison keeps up." observed Misty.

She was right. Even as Rita's Squirtle stood tall, proud of its strength, another purple crackle passed over its body, the poison doing even more damage to it.

"Folks, this battle is coming down to the wire," commented Don George "Squirtle has landed several strong blows against Beedrill, but Beedrill managed to poison Squirtle early on. Now neither Pokémon appears to have much health left."

"This next move might just be the one to decide the final outcome." added Brock.

Both trainers were well aware of that, and both were thinking on how best to end things in their favour.

Rita shouted "Squirtle, finish this with Water Gun."

Once more Squirtle opened its mouth and spat a powerful spray of water at Beedrill.

"Beedrill!" shouted Ritchie "You have to dodge! Please!"

The bug and poison type Pokémon pushed itself up onto two legs again and turned its head towards the incoming attack.

For a second the water appeared to hit its mark, but somehow, miraculously, Beedrill managed to avoid the blow. Beating its wings it soared high above the battlefield, battle worn but not beaten.

The poison crackled across Squirtle's body again, causing the water type Pokémon to wince in pain, and Ritchie saw his chance.

"Beedrill, use Fury Attack!"

With great speed, Beedrill dived-bombed Squirtle. The water type dodged the first blow, but the second stinger jabbed into Squirtle's body, and another blow drove the damage home. A fourth blow followed, and a fifth came after that, both hitting their mark.

Squirtle teetered on the spot for a moment, then the effects of the poison coursed through its body, and the battle was settled.

The water type Pokémon fell forwards to land face down in the dirt.

The referee raised his flags and announced "Squirtle is unable to battle. Beedrill wins. The trainer going on to the next round is Ritchie!"

The stadium broke out into applause as Don George's voice came over the loudspeaker "And there you have it folks. Rita and her Squirtle put up a good battle, but ultimately succumbed to the power of Ritchie's Beedrill and its poison."

Rita recalled her Squirtle to its pokéball and left the battlefield looking dejected.

Ritchie recalled his Beedrill to its pokéball as well and made his way back over to the group.

"That was a great battle Ritchie," complimented Robyn.

"Thanks," replied Ritchie "but I think it was mostly down to luck. I was nowhere near prepared for that Mega Punch."

"But you still won," retorted Ash "so that must mean that you were the better trainer.

Ritchie smiled and said "Thanks Ash."

"Guys," said Misty "that Damian guy's up next."

They turned and saw that the arrogant Charmander trainer was already making his way out onto the battlefield.

His opponent was walking to out there too, headed towards the opposite end of the battlefield. He was a small kid, apparently having come straight from school, and was still wearing his uniform.

"The sixth battle of the first round is about to begin," announced the referee "Trainers, choose your Pokémon!"

"Charmander, go!" shouted out Damian as he threw out a pokéball."

"Zubat, let's battle!" shouted the school kid.

Two pokéballs snapped open and the two Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.

Charmander's flame was burning intensely, clearly displaying its eagerness to battle.

Zubat was a small, blue, bat-like Pokémon with no eyes, two large ears and a wide mouth containing several sharp and pointed teeth.

Ash had seen Zubat before he began his journey, as they were a common Pokémon owned by young trainers, and were occasionally to be seen flying through the air over Pallet Town just after sunset, but he had never encountered a wild one face to face. He pulled out his Pokédex to find out more.

**Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. Lacking eyes, Zubat is completely blind and instead relies heavily on its echolocation capabilities to find its way around. They live in caves in vast colonies, and only venture outside to hunt prey at night. It can use its Leech Life ability to steal an opponent's health and heal itself.**

"That doesn't sound very pleasant." said Misty.

"No it doesn't," said Robyn in agreement "But I don't think that that Zubat will provide much trouble for Damian's Charmander."

"And there you have it," said Don George "Damian has chosen Charmander, and Clark has gone for Zubat. How this battle will turn out is something that only time will tell."

"Here comes the coin toss to determine which trainer starts things off," said Brock.

The coin on the screen flipped and landed on tails, giving Clark the first move.

"Come on Zubat," said Clark eagerly "Let's win this and then get started on our homework! Start off with a Supersonic attack!"

Zubat opened its mouth wide and emitted a strange wave of sound, sending several small blue rings towards Charmander.

"What's Supersonic?" asked Ash.

"It's an attack that used strange noises to confuse the opponent," explained Misty.

"Charmander, wrap this up with Dragon Rage." ordered Damian calmly.

The flame spouting from the tip of Charmander's tail suddenly grew to a great size. With a cry Charmander opened its mouth and a yellow ball of flame quickly appeared there. The ball grew and turned white, with bursts of orange flame crackling across the outer layer.

Charmander launched the orb towards Zubat and it slammed into the other Pokémon's face causing a massive explosion that seemed to swallow Zubat completely.

"No, Zubat!" shouted Clark.

Something small dropped down from within the cloud of smoke that now hit the air, and hit the ground with a dull thud.

Zubat lay flat on the ground, the tip of one of its wings twitching feebly. Apart from that it hardly moved.

The referee raised his flags and announced "Clark's Zubat is unable to continue battling. Charmander wins. Damian progresses to the next round."

"Well hows about that, folks?" asked Don George as the crowd around the stadium cheered "Not only did Damian defeat his opponent in one move, he also won the battle in record time!"

"I think we have a new front runner." said Brock.

Damian recalled Charmander to his pokéball and arrogantly swaggered off of the battlefield as a dejected Clark returned Zubat to its pokéball and walked off.

"That was brutal." said Robyn.

"That was Dragon Rage," said Misty "It always deals a set amount of damage if it hits the opponent. If that opponent has less health than the set damage, then it doesn't stand a chance."

Ash and Ritchie were both staring at the point where Zubat had hit the ground. Both were wondering the same thing, whether any of their Pokémon were strong enough to take that kind of hit and keep going.

Ritchie was especially worried. Looking at the table, his opponent in the next round would be Damian.

The seventh battle began. A boy named Giles and a girl named Becky met out on the battlefield. Becky sent out a Geodude, and Giles sent out a Pokémon that looked somewhat like a wilted daffodil.

Ash took out his Pokédex and examined the Pokémon.

**Bellsprout, the Flower Pokémon. Bellsprout is carnivorous and will trap and consume small insects. It uses its roots as feet in order to walk around, and also buries them into the ground to seek out and absorb moisture.**

"That's the un-evolved form of Weepinbell," said Misty "Remember? Damian used one in his battle against Assunta?"

Ash nodded his head. He remembered alright.

The following battle was over rather quickly. Although Becky had taught her Geodude a few good moves, like Seismic Toss and Dig, there was no getting past the rock and ground type's severe weakness to grass type moves.

Giles's Bellsprout had to only land two Vine Whip attacks and the whole thing was over.

"Looks like Giles will be your opponent in the second round, Robyn." observed Ash as the two trainers recalled their Pokémon and vacated the arena.

"I've gotta win my first round battle yet," replied Robyn, making her way out towards the battlefield.

Her opponent, Molly was already waiting for her.

"The eighth and final battle of the first round is about to get underway," announced the referee "Trainers, choose your Pokémon!"

Robyn snatched up a pokéball and threw it "Butterfree, battle time!"

Opposite from her, Molly took out a pokéball of her own and tossed it out onto the battlefield "It's show time, Jigglypuff!"

Jigglypuff was a round, ball-like, pink Pokémon, with ears like those of a cat, two large, round, blue eyes and what appeared to be a tuft of hair on top of its forehead. It had two arms which appeared to be rather short and stubby, especially when compared to its large feet.

"That's a pretty cute Pokémon." observed Misty.

"Looks kind of strange to me." said Ritchie.

Ash took out his Pokédex once again.

**Jigglypuff, the Balloon Pokémon. It has large, friendly eyes and likes to sing songs that make others feel sleepy. It is capable of inflating its rubbery body to a great size in order to float into the air and travel with the wind.**

"So it can sing its opponents to sleep?" asked Ash.

"Sounds like it," said Ritchie "Robyn had better watch out."

"And there it is," said Don George "Molly has decided to go with Jigglypuff, and Robyn is going with Butterfree. And a rather unusual one it is too."

"Indeed," agreed Brock "You don't normally see one of that colour flying about. It's truly a beautiful sight."

On the screen the coin toss was shown. The coin flipped and landed on heads, giving Robyn the first move.

"Alright Butterfree, let's see how well your aerial training paid off. Use Tackle!"

Butterfree beat her wings elegantly to take on and then gain height before she folded them into her sides and plummeted straight towards Jigglypuff.

The normal type Pokémon took the hit and was knocked onto its back. However its rubbery body allowed it to easily bounce back onto its feet.

"Now Jigglypuff, allow them to hear your beautiful voice!" called out Molly "Use Sing!"

In response to its trainer's command, Jigglypuff's large eyes seemed to grow bigger and began to quiver. And then it opened its mouth and started to sing.

"_Jig-allypuff jigallee-eepuuff. Jigglypuuff jigaleeee. Jigg-aleeepuff jiiiigaleepuff jigaleeepuff jigaleeeepuuuufff…"_

"Does anyone else feel tired?" asked Misty.

"Sure do." replied Ritchie.

"I could do with a nap right now." added Ash.

"Pika-a-a" murmured Pikachu contentedly as he curled up next to the wall of the arena.

"And there _yawn_ it is," said Don George "Jigglypuff's famous _yawn_ sing attack."

"It sure can put _yawn_ just about anyone to sleep." said Brock.

He was right. Just about the only person in the entire stadium not feeling even slightly sleepy was Molly herself. Of course with Jigglypuff being her Pokémon, she had trained herself to tolerate the effects of the song.

Butterfree was faring worse than everyone else, and soon fell to the ground, sound asleep.

"Alright, Jigglypuff," said Molly "use Double Slap as many times as you can while Butterfree is still asleep."

Jigglypuff inflated itself slightly, allowing it to lift up off of the ground and bob through the air towards Butterfree. It landed, reached out with its arms and began landing multiple slaps to Butterfree's body.

"And now that Butterfree is sound asleep, Jigglypuff can press its advantage." said Brock.

"Butterfree!" shouted Robyn "Wake up and fight back!"

The bug type Pokémon didn't seem to respond.

"Why won't it wake up?" asked Ash, who was once again wide awake now that Jigglypuff had stopped singing.

"Jigglypuff's Sing attack puts the opponent into an enchanted sleep," answered Misty "It's harder to wake up from that than it would be a normal sleep. Even all those hits from Jigglypuff aren't enough to wake it up."

"Butterfree, wake up!" shouted Robyn, but it did no good. Jigglypuff kept landing blows, and Butterfree remained asleep.

"If this keeps up, Butterfree's going to lose without waking up." commented Ash.

"Keep those slaps coming Jigglypuff!" said Molly to her Pokémon.

"This is an unusual strategy," observed Don George "But clearly it is an effective one. Jigglypuff can land as many hits as it likes, and Butterfree just sleeps through it."

"Come on Butterfree, please!" pleaded Robyn.

"Don't waste your breath," retorted Molly "Butterfree isn't getting back up. Jigglypuff's Sing is just too powerful for any Pokémon to wake up from so soon."

Robyn ignored her and called out again "Come on Butterfree, you have to wake up!"

And miraculously it did just that. Her eyes opened and the stretched her wings lazily before turning her attention to her opponent who had been surprised that Butterfree had awoken and jumped back away from it.

"Two can play at the sleeping game!" said Robyn confidently "Butterfree, use Sleep Powder!"

Butterfree beat her wings powerfully and repeatedly, releasing a cloud of blue, glittering pollen which filled the air and surrounded Jigglypuff.

The Balloon Pokémon's huge, round eyes grew heavy and closed. The little pink Pokémon fell asleep.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Molly "Jigglypuff, please wake up!"

"Turnabout is fair play in my book," said Robyn "Butterfree, use Tackle repeatedly on Jigglypuff!"

Butterfree flapped her large wings in order to become airborne and then flew at Jigglypuff, colliding forcefully into it.

Jigglypuff bounced across the ground, but it did not wake up.

"And it seems that Molly is now being given a taste of her own medicine," observed Don George "Let's see how she copes with her own tactics being turned against her."

As Molly made another desperate shout for Jigglypuff to wake up, Butterfree turned in the air and flew back towards Jigglypuff and landed a second blow. This was quickly followed by a third and a fourth.

Then Jigglypuff woke up.

"Ha ha!" cheered Molly "Alright Jigglypuff, use Sing!"

"Not again!" moaned Ash.

Jigglypuff opened its mouth to begin singing again, but…

"String Shot!" shouted Robyn.

Butterfree spat out a spray of silken string which quickly wound itself around Jigglypuff's middle and sealed its mouth shut.

"What?" exclaimed Molly in disbelief.

"Well would you look at that?" said Don George.

"It appears that Butterfree's String Shot has sealed up Jigglypuff's mouth, preventing it from singing its lullaby." said Brock.

"Now to finish this!" shouted Robyn "Butterfree, use Tackle one more time!"

Butterfree sped across the battlefield towards Jigglypuff.

"Defence Curl, now!" yelled Molly.

Jigglypuff tucked in its arms, legs and ears as though bracing itself and a slight glow of yellow appeared around it.

But it did no good.

Butterfree rammed into Jigglypuff with its full force and the balloon Pokémon sailed through the air and crashed to the ground at Molly's feet, out cold.

The referee raised his flags and announced "Jigglypuff is unable to battle. Butterfree wins. The trainer going through to the second round is Robyn."

Butterfree flew over to Robyn who hugged it as her friends cheered from the side lines.

"That's it for today folks." announced Don George "Join us again tomorrow morning when the eight trainers who made it through will battle it out in the second round."

"Just to show you what you can look forward to seeing tomorrow, here are the match ups that we will be seeing." said Brock.

Up in the screen, photographs of each of the eight remaining trainers appeared and were paired together.

To start things off, Ash would face off against Warren, the guy who had used his powerful Raticate to win his round. Next Misty would face A.J. the Sandshrew trainer. Ritchie would then have to face Damian, and finally Robyn would face off against Gavin the Bellsprout trainer.

"Well, looks like I've got an easy win in the second round too." said Damian. He shot a smirking look towards Ritchie before turning and leaving.

"That jerk." muttered Ritchie.

"Don't worry Ritchie, you'll beat him." said Ash.

All of them were worried however. In the second round they would be facing off against trainers who were a lot stronger than those that they had faced off against today. Each would have to choose their Pokémon extremely carefully for the battles that would begin the following morning.

* * *

Later the group were all sitting around a table in the Battle Club's cafeteria, each of them having a large plate filled with an assortment of food in front of them.

"Oh, man, I'm starving!" stated Ash.

"Me too." added Robyn.

"Then let's did in." said Misty, picking up a fork and starting in on her salad.

As they ate, Robyn asked "So, does anyone have any ideas for how they'll handle the battles tomorrow?"

"I don't know," responded Ash "Apart from his Raticate, I have no idea what Pokémon Warren has. And I can't just assume that he'll use the same Pokémon again."

"Will you use Nidoran again?" asked Ritchie.

Ash shook his head "No, I think I'll give someone else a go. Although I wanted to train Nidoran to get strong enough so that he'll be able to handle the Pokémon at the Pewter Gym better, I don't want to just use him. If I put too much effort into training Nidoran and Mankey then the others will get left behind."

"That makes sense." said Robyn "I won't be using Butterfree again tomorrow. I know that it would do well against Giles and his Bellsprout, but like you I can't just assume that he will use the same Pokémon again."

"As for me," said Misty "I suspect that A.J. will know by now that I am a water type specialist, so if he has any sense he won't be using his Sandshrew for our match. That means I'll have to be prepared to face anything. It was fun using Magikarp today, but there's no way that I will use it tomorrow. The strategy I used with Magikarp today was the only one I have for it, so everyone now knows it. And it only worked because that Tentacool was a water type."

"So it's a choice between Staryu and Poliwag then?" asked Ash.

"Yes," agreed Misty "Staryu might be best though at it have a wider range of moves. If A.J. sends out a grass type then Staryu can use Tackle and Swift. Poliwag would have to rely on Double Slap."

"How about you Ritchie?" asked Robyn.

"Well I think that it is pretty safe to say that Damian will be using his Charmander again," replied Ritchie "So I just have to come up with a way to beat it."

"So Poliwag must be your choice then." said Ash.

"I don't know," replied Ritchie "Yes, Poliwag's water type attacks will give it a major advantage over Damian's Charmander, that's for sure, but…" he trailed off.

"You're worried about Poliwag being able to handle a Dragon Rage attack, aren't you?" asked Misty.

"Yeah. I haven't been training Poliwag for that long and it can't take too much damage. Not only that, but it's also not that quick on its feet, so that'll make dodging a problem."

"Well then, why not use your Pikachu?" asked Ash "It's pretty fast, and its Thunder Wave attack will slow Damian's Charmander right down."

"Maybe, yeah." said Richie, not sounding too sure.

"Well, whatever happens tomorrow, I'm sure we'll all make it through to the third round." said Ash confidently.

"You do realise that is that happens, your next opponent will be me, right?" asked Misty.

"Oh yeah," said Ash "Well, don't worry. I'll go easy on ya!"

In response Misty raised her hand and knocked him on the side of the head, causing the other two to laugh.

"Of course," said Robyn "if we all go through, then Ritchie and I will be each other's opponent in the third round too."

"And," added Ritchie "whoever wins those battles will face each other in the final."

"Don't get too ahead of yourselves there," said a voice.

They all turned around and saw that Damian had come over to them.

"What do you want?" asked Ash.

"I just overheard you guys talking over here and thought I'd come over and point out that I'm gonna be the one to win this little here tournament."

"Oh yeah? Says who?" demanded Ash.

"Says me!" retorted Damian "None of your pathetic little Pokémon can even hope to defeat my Charminder, so stop kiddin' yerselves."

Ash went to retort, but Damian had already turned away, laughing to himself.

Ash sat down and turned to Ritchie "Wipe that smirk off of his face tomorrow, Ritchie."

"I'll do my best, Ash." the other boy replied.

* * *

The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the city below them.

Standing on the side of the mountain, Meowth asked "So which one of dem buildin's are we gonna be breakin' inta?"

"That big one on the outskirts of the city to the north." replied James "According to the boss they've been conducting some very intense research. Obtaining that will allow Team Rocket's own research to progress by anywhere up to ten whole years."

"Not only that," added Jessie "but we've also had orders to obtain as many samples as possible as well."

"Samples?" asked Meowth.

"Fossils of Pokémon that died a long time ago," explained Jessie "Among other things."

"Any Pokémon?" asked Meowth.

"Reports from our inside man suggests so." replied James "Some very rare samples indeed."

Meowth rubbed his paws together eagerly "Alright then. Look out Pewter City, and sleep well tonight, because tomorrow you guys ain't gonna know what hit ya!"

All three members of Team Rocket began to laugh.

* * *

**So how was that? The first round of the tournament is now complete, and I hope that you enjoyed it.**

**What's Team Rocket up to? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.**

**In other news, yesterday a very important episode of the anime aired in the U.S. Not to spoil it for anyone, but it was the English language dub of BW116, the episode in which Ash's Charizard returns to the cast. Yay! Still can't make out why they gave it Slash and Wing Attack to replace Seismic Toss and Steel Wing, but there you go. He's still far cooler than anything else Ash caught in the Best Wishes series (though I rather like it when Palpitoad turns up to battle!)**

**Obviously for this story Ash's eventual Charizard will know Slash, but that move will be gone one better moves become available (can't decide between Metal Claw and Shadow Claw. I would give it Dragon Claw, but several others will end up with that and I'd like there to be a few differences.)**

**Also this coming Thursday Japan is scheduled to air another important episode. Remember a previous Author's note where I mentioned a poster showing Ash and his Butterfree? Well it is that episode! All that has been confirmed is that the group will encounter a lot of wild Caterpie, Metapod and Butterfree, and that Ash will have flashbacks to his own Butterfree, but whether or not his Butterfree will actually appear in the flesh is still up in the air. Personally, I can't wait. I do hope it appears, but the nostalgia trip will be nice either way. With any luck they'll bring Pidgeot back at some point too, but that might just be wishful thinking on my part – sigh! Anyway, if Butterfree does return, I'm hoping that it'll show us some decent moves (as all it seemed to have when it left were Tackle, Whirlwind, Stun Spore and Sleep Powder. I'm happy for it to still have one of the powder moves, but then maybe it can have switched Tackle for either Aerial Ace or Acrobatics and then Whirlwind for Silver Wind or Bug Buzz. And its fourth move should be either grass or psychic – Energy Ball, Solar Beam, Giga Drain Psybeam, Psychic. Or failing that, Shadow Ball.**

**Anyway, that's enough speculating on my part. See you for the next chapter!**


	13. Second Round Rumble

**So here we go with the next part of the Club Battle Tournament. We've got a couple of move debuts in this one, ready for the gang to face off against much tougher opponents than they battled in the last round.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 12: Second Round Rumble!

The noise in the stadium was loud, but Don George's voice coming over the loudspeaker system quickly quietened down the spectators.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning and welcome back to the Club Battle Tournament, coming to you from the Pewter City Battle Club. My name is Don George and I will be commentating today, joined by Pewter City's very own Gym Leader, Brock "The Rock" Harrison!"

Brock joined in at this point. "Thanks Don George. Well, he said it folks, we are back with the Club Battle Tournament. This morning we are beginning the second round of our tournament, and this means that every trainer will be facing opponents that are much tougher than the ones that they faced yesterday."

"Before we get started," said Don George "let's have a quick review of yesterday's battles."

On the big screen a still shot of two Pokémon battling it out appeared.

Don George continued "The first battle was a spectacular fight in which neither trainer was prepared to give an inch, but eventually the poison moves of Ash's Nidoran won out against Travis's Krabby."

The image on the big screen changed to show two more Pokémon battling.

Brock took over "Then we had a surprisingly quick battle for our second match. Calvin's Spearow had been trained well, but it just wasn't good enough to stand up to Warren's Raticate for long."

The image changed again, and Don George took over "Misty used her usually frail Magikarp in an ingenious battle style in order to secure a highly unexpected win over Marty and his Tentacool."

Brock spoke for the next image "And in a frightening display of pure power, A.J. and his Sandshrew literally tore up the battlefield in order to secure a victory over Lewis and his Paras."

Don George took up the tread again "After an intense battle, Ritchie and his Beedrill managed a win against Rita and her Squirtle."

Brock went next "Then Damian and his Charmander won against Clark and his Zubat in a one-hit wonder."

"Giles used his Bellsprout's type advantage over Becky's Geodude to get an easy win," added Don George.

"And in the final matchup there were a lot of sleepy eyes as Robyn and her Butterfree put their Sleep Powder attack up against the Molly and her Jigglypuff's Sing attack. In the end Butterfree won out, and our eighth battler for today was decided." finished Brock.

Don George continued "Today our battles will go as follows…"

Up on the big screen, the photographs of the eight remaining trainers were shown. They then moved about on the screen until they were in pairs."

"First up," said Don George "We will have Ash against Warren. Next it will be Misty against A.J. followed by Ritchie against Damian, and finally Giles will face off against Robyn."

"All of our trainers will be competing for a place in the semi-final matches which will be held this afternoon," said Brock "so I think that it's safe to assume that they will be pulling out all the stops today as they and their Pokémon aim for victory."

"Now let us begin," said Don George "If the first two trainers could please make their way out onto the battlefield…"

"That's me, guys." said Ash, stepping forward from his position near the side-lines.

"Ash, do you have any idea how you'll beat that guy's Raticate if he sends it out?" asked Misty.

"Sure," replied Ash "I've got the perfect strategy in mind."

And with that he walked out onto the battlefield, Warren already taking up his position at the opposite end.

"So what do we think his plan is?" asked Robyn "It can't be Pikachu."

They all turned to look at the little electric type Pokémon, who smiled back at them.

"Nah," said Ritchie "I think he's saving Pikachu for a battle with Misty."

"Well at least he's using his head." said Misty "I'd say he's gonna use Mankey. It's one of the Pokémon he wants to train up to battle Brock, and it'll have a type advantage over a Raticate."

"I agree," said Ritchie.

Robyn shook her head "I don't think so. Mankey might have type advantage but it doesn't have the greatest defence right now. Raticate has a good amount of power, especially that Hyper Fang move. And it's quite fast. Ash will go for something that can dodge Raticate well, and take a couple of heavy hits."

Suddenly the match referee announced in a loud clear voice "This match between Ash and Warren is about to begin. Both trainers may use only one Pokémon each. Trainers, choose your Pokémon."

Warren took up a pokéball and threw it out onto the battlefield "Alright, Raticate, let's brawl!"

The pokéball snapped open and Raticate appeared out of it, bearing its long fangs and twitching its whiskers.

Ash took a pokéball as well and threw it with a shout of "Pidgeotto, I choose you!"

"_Prigooh!" _chirped the flying type Pokémon as it appeared on the battlefield and soared into the air.

"What?" exclaimed Misty "Why Pidgeotto?"

"It's a good choice," said Robyn "Pidgeotto is an evolved Pokémon and is fast. It should be able to outfly Raticate's moves."

"But its moves aren't all that powerful," replied Misty "Ash will have to rely on landing repeated hits while taking few himself."

"Are both trainers ready?" asked the referee. Getting two nods in response, he called for the coin toss, which landed in Warren's favour.

"Begin!"

"Alright, Raticate, let's get this battle started with a Quick Attack."

Raticate sprang forwards and charged right at Pidgeotto.

"Pidgeotto, you use your Quick Attack too!" Ash shouted.

The flying type Pokémon tucked in its wings and flew towards the oncoming Raticate. Both Pokémon were leaving a faint white trail behind them as they moved at speed.

"And both trainers have their Pokémon open with a show of speed…" said Don George.

The two Pokémon sped towards each other until, at almost the last moment, Warren called out "Grab it with Hyper Fang!"

Raticate's mouth opened wide, but Ash shouted out "Dodge it!"

In response Pidgeotto twisted its body and performed a perfect corkscrew manoeuvre in order dodge Raticate completely.

"Wow, that was so fast!" exclaimed Misty.

"And Warren tried to suck Ash into a head on collision that would have surely seen Pidgeotto caught between Raticate's teeth had it now been for Pidgeotto's superior manoeuvrability!" commented Don George.

"That Raticate is fast, but Pidgeotto clearly had the upper hand there!" added Brock.

"Pretty quick bird you've got there," said Warren "but this'll slow it down. Raticate, use BubbleBeam!"

Raticate opened its mouth wide and blew out a stream of many bubbles that raced quickly through the air.

"What's that move do?" asked Ritchie.

"It's a powered up and more focused version of the Bubble attack," replied Misty "When a Pokémon gets hit by that attack, not only does it take damage, it also may lose some of its speed."

"I can see why Warren had his Raticate use it," said Robyn "This could be bad for Pidgeotto."

Ash was more than prepared for this, however, and shouted out "Pidgeotto, use Gust to blow those bubbles back!"

Pidgeotto began to frantically flap her wings in rapid and powerful movements, generating a strong breeze. As this wind met with the bubbles their movement slowed up until they stopped and began moving back towards Raticate.

The mixture of the two attacks slammed into Raticate and knocked the normal type Pokémon over onto its back.

"And Ash used Pidgeotto's wind-creating capabilities to his advantage in order to send Raticate's attack right back at it," commented Brock "You don't usually see that sort of thing from trainers at this level."

Don George nodded in agreement and added "Young trainers take note, as this sort of thing is a common and effective strategy used by more skilled trainers."

"Get up Raticate!" shouted Warren.

Ash pressed his advantage "Pidgeotto, use Sand Attack!"

Pidgeotto swooped low and turned onto one side. The tip of its left wing dug into the sandy surface of the battlefield and scooped up a heap of sand.

Raticate got up just in time for Pidgeotto to race past it and fling this heap of sand right into its face.

Blinded, the Rat Pokémon began thrashing about as it tried to get the sand out of its eyes.

"And Ash takes the opportunity to severely reduce his opponent's ability to see," commented Don George "An excellent strategy against a strong opponent."

"Never mind your eyes, Raticate!" shouted Warren "Use your whiskers to sense where Pidgeotto is and use Tackle!"

Raticate stopped thrashing about and stood absolutely still, its head raised and its whiskers twitching.

"Do you think it'll find Pidgeotto?" asked Ritchie.

"Maybe," said Robyn "Raticate's whiskers are highly sensitive."

Suddenly Raticate turned and sprang through the air. Ash went to shout for Pidgeotto to dodge, but it was too late. Raticate's body hit Pidgeotto full force and the flying type and sent tumbling through the air, tail over beak until she managed to right herself.

"Uh oh!" said Misty worriedly "Sand Attack didn't help."

"Ash better have another strategy up his sleeve," said Ritchie.

"And Raticate manages to get around its temporary blindness and score a direct hit on Pidgeotto thanks to the sensitivity of its long whiskers." commented Brock.

"Raticate, feel out Pidgeotto and use Hyper Fang!" shouted Warren.

"No way!" retorted Ash "Pidgeotto, up!"

Raticate sensed where Pidgeotto was and jumped towards it, mouth open wide, but with one powerful beat of her wings Pidgeotto soared up into the air and out of harm's way.

"Now we'll make use of your training Pidgeotto!" Ash called to his Pokémon "Are you ready?"

Pidgeotto looked at him and nodded her head eagerly.

Ash thought back to the piece of training he and Pidgeotto had done the night before…

/\/\/\/\/\/\

_Flashback – the previous evening…_

_After having their dinner and a rest for an hour or two, the group of friends had dispersed throughout the Battle Club building in order to take part in a little more light training._

_With Misty, Robyn and Ritchie all occupied elsewhere, Ash had taken the chance to head over to the computer room in order to do a bit of research. That was where Don George found him._

"_So, Ash, you looking for anything in particular?"_

"_Just something to try and teach my Pokémon for tomorrow. I'm up against a tough opponent."_

_He punched a few buttons on the keyboard and a video screen appeared on the monitor "I was thinking of trying to get Butterfree to learn this move."_

_The video showed a Butterfree fluttering in mid-air. The two antennae growing out of its head took on a purple glow and crossed over each other. Then it fired a purple and pink beam of psychic energy through the air._

"_Hmm," said Don George contemplatively "That's the Psybeam attack. It's a very good move for a Butterfree to learn and it deals a fair bit of damage and may also confuse the opponent. However, I don't think that your Butterfree is ready to learn that move just yet."_

"_Okay," said Ash "How about this one for Mankey?"_

_He loaded another video. This one showed a Mankey flip over, grab its opponent (in this case a Venonat) by its head with its legs, grab the opponent's feet with its hands and then began to roll around, holding the opponent in a full-body hold. It then threw the opponent away forcefully._

_Don George nodded and said "That's a Submission attack. It's a very strong move, but it also damages your own Pokémon as a side effect. I don't think that your Mankey is strong enough to learn that move just yet."_

"_Then what do you recommend?" asked Ash._

_Don George thought for a moment before leaning over and loading another video onto the computer "Who about this one for Pidgeotto?"_

_The video showed a Pidgeotto. It beat its wings to get airborne, and then became surrounded by a pale green coloured energy. It then flew forcefully towards its opponent (a Kakuna) and knocked it flying through the air. After completing the attack, the green energy crackled around Pidgeotto and seemed to hurt it before vanishing._

"_That looks pretty strong," observed Ash "but what was that crackling energy all about."_

"_Well, like that Submission attack you were looking to teach your Mankey, this move also has the side effect of doing a bit of damage to the Pokémon using it. The difference here is that I believe that your Pidgeotto is strong enough for that to not matter too much." explained Don George._

_Ash thought for a moment. Was such a powerful move really worth the drawback of your Pokémon doing a bit of damage to itself in return?_

_Finally he looked up and said "Well, if any of my Pokémon can deal with that move, it'll be Pidgeotto. She's too tough to let a little bit of recoil damage worry her."_

"_Excellent," said Don George "Let's head down to one of the battle rooms. It'll be the perfect place to teach your Pidgeotto this move. And on the way, I can pick up the Battle Club's own Pidgeotto to help yours learn the move."_

/\/\/\/\/\

They had trained well into the night with Don George and the Battle Club's own Pidgeotto, but it had been well worth it.

On the battlefield Raticate was moving its head around with jerking movements, its long whiskers twitching madly as it tried to sense where its opponent was.

Pidgeotto was high above it, completely out of reach.

And in the perfect position.

"Alright Pidgeotto, wrap this up with Double-Edge!"

Pidgeotto became surrounded in the pale green energy Ash has seen in the video. She then tucked her wings in and dive-bombed Raticate.

"Raticate, above you!" shouted Warren.

Raticate turned its head upwards, but too late to actually do anything.

Pidgeotto rammed full force into Raticate with a loud thud, and a cloud of dust was kicked up. Pidgeotto flew out of this, even as the green energy crackled across her body, inflicting the price of using such a move.

"And there it is, folks," said Don George "Ash's Pidgeotto made excellent use of the Double-Edge attack to deliver some impressive damage to Warren's Raticate."

"Of course, it should be noted that Double-Edge is so named because of the recoil damage that it inflicts on the user." added Brock "Although that barely seems to have affected Pidgeotto. That is one tough flying type."

The dust cloud cleared to reveal Raticate lying sprawled on its front, a nasty pink lump throbbing on its head where Pidgeotto had landed her final hit.

The referee raised his flags and announced "Raticate is unable to battle. Pidgeotto gets the win, meaning that the trainer going through to the semi-final round is Ash!"

The crowd cheered as Pidgeotto flew down to Ash.

"You were great Pidgeotto!" Ash called to his Pokémon, and he held out his arm for Pidgeotto to land on as he walked off of the battlefield.

"And there you have it, folks," said Brock "The first battle of the second round is now over, with Ash claiming the victory."

"That was amazing Ash," exclaimed Robyn as he re-joined the group.

"Thanks," replied Ash "I was a little worried about using that move, but it really paid off, didn't it Pidgeotto?"

"_Prigooh!" _replied the flying type Pokémon in agreement.

"It seemed kinda risky though," said Misty.

"Only if your Pokémon can't take it." replied Ash.

Don George's voice sounded across the stadium "Will the next two trainers please take their places on the battlefield?"

"I'm up," said Misty, nervously.

"Good luck!" the group called to her as she walked out onto the battlefield.

A.J. took up his position opposite her. This was a trainer who the day before had used a Sandshrew to devastating effect. There was a chance that Misty would now face that same power, but with her being known as a specialist in the training of water type Pokémon, A.J. was likely to use another Pokémon.

Or he would be if he had any sense.

"Trainers, choose your Pokémon!" called out the referee.

Misty threw out a pokéball, calling out "Staryu, let's go!"

Opposite her A.J. threw his own pokéball "You're up, Gloom!"

The two Pokémon appeared on the battlefield, Staryu brown in colour with five pointed limbs and a big red gem in its centre. Gloom on the other hand had a small round, blue body, and small arms and feet, closed eyes and a wide mouth that it seemed to be drooling from. On its head there was a flower that was brown in colour with white spots, and four orange leaves.

Ash took out his Pokédex in order to find out more about this new Pokémon.

**Gloom, the Weed Pokémon, is the evolved form of Oddish. The fluid that oozes from its mouth isn't drool. It is a nectar that is used to attract prey. The flower on its head produces a terrible smell.**

"Well that doesn't sound very pleasant." commented Robyn.

"No," agreed Ash "but it's still a grass type Pokémon, so Misty and Staryu had better watch out."

As they had been talking, the coin toss had come out in Misty's favour.

"Begin!" called the referee.

"Alright Staryu, let's start things off with a Swift attack!"

Staryu stood up straight and the gem in the centre of its body turned white, then a flurry of multiple small white stars shot from the gem and raced across the battlefield and each slammed hard into Gloom.

"And Misty gets things going with a Swift attack," commented Don George "An interesting move that is unavoidable."

"It's also a normal type move," added Brock "and Misty is going to have to rely on moves like that to battle Gloom as water type moves will have little effect on a grass type opponent.

"Gloom, fire back with Acid!" ordered A.J.

Gloom tilted its head back, opened its mouth wide and spat out a ball of purple liquid at Staryu.

"Counter it with Water Gun!" ordered Misty.

Staryu bent its topmost spike forwards and a powerful jet of water shot out from the tip of it. The water met the purple liquid and the two attacks lost their momentum, splashing to the ground and spreading across the surface of the battlefield, the dirt hissing as the poison burnt some of it up.

"That looked pretty dangerous," observed Ritchie.

"Misty's gonna have to tread carefully," said Robyn "Not only is Gloom a grass type, it's also a part poison."

The dirt from the battlefield and the water mixed together to effectively neutralise the poison contained in the Acid attack, but an angry black mark was left on the battlefield as a reminder of Gloom's toxic capabilities.

"Staryu, use Tackle!" ordered Misty.

In immediate response, Staryu jumped up into the air and shot like a disc towards the opposing Pokémon.

A.J. was more than prepared for this, and called out "Great ready Gloom! Use Cut!"

Two of the wilting orange leaved that hung below Gloom's flower seemed to gain a new lease on life as they both suddenly sprang outwards, their edges like knife blades.

Staryu tackled into Gloom with all its might and did some decent damage. However, at it collided one of Gloom's leaves raked across the water type's body, leaving a nasty looking gash.

Staryu jumped backwards, away from Gloom, but A.J. was not about to call on a close range attack unless he had to.

"Alright Gloom, let's wrap this up with a Mega Drain!"

The flower on Gloom's head took on a green glow. Then a green beam of energy shot across the battlefield and surrounded Staryu.

"Staryu, no!" cried Misty.

The energy surrounding Staryu turned from green to red. This new colour then began to travel back along the beam towards Gloom.

"And there it is, Mega Drain," said Don George "This grass type move steals health from the opposing Pokémon and gives a good amount of it to the user."

"And with Staryu being a water type, this move will do a lot of damage," added Brock "Even if Staryu managed to remain standing after this, Gloom will probably be back to full health."

The red energy made it back to Gloom and surrounded it. The attack on Staryu let up and the beam disappeared. A white glow surrounded Gloom for a moment before fading, leaving Gloom looking as healthy and strong as it had been when the battle had begun.

For Staryu it was a different story. Its five limbs were sagging in weakness, and its red gem core was flashing, a sure sign that its end was not far off.

"Poor Staryu." said Robyn.

"Gloom had too much of an advantage over it." said Ritchie, shaking his head.

Ash said nothing. What was there to say? There was nothing that Misty could do besides try and get in one last hit before the inevitable happened.

"And it looks like this could be it for Staryu…" said Don George.

"Alright Gloom," said A.J. "That Staryu took that Mega Drain better than I expected. But an Acid will finish it."

Once more Gloom tilted its head back and spat a ball of purple liquid at Staryu.

Misty knew that there was no chance of Staryu firing off a Water Gun with enough power to fully stop the Acid attack, so instead she settled on making one last hit.

"Staryu, use Swift!"

Staryu stood as tall and proud as it could before shooting a flurry of white stars out of its core, even as the purple liquid splashed over its body. Staryu slumped again and fell over as the stars sought out Gloom and slammed into it.

But one final, decent hit was far from enough to bring Gloom down, and Staryu was the only Pokémon that fell.

The referee raised his flag and announced "Staryu is unable to battle, Gloom wins. And so the trainer heading for the semi-final round is A.J!"

As the crowd cheered for the winner, Misty walked over to her Pokémon and crouched down beside it "Good job Staryu. I know that grass types are hard for you to deal with. You did well, so thank you."

She held up Staryu's pokéball and recalled her Pokémon to it before getting up and walking back over to her friends.

Robyn gave her a hug and then Pikachu hopped up onto her shoulder and patted her head as Ash said "You fought well, Misty. That Gloom was real tough."

"Yeah," she replied "I hoped that Swift and Tackle would be enough to get by. Guess I'll have to find another way to deal with grass types. Thanks Pikachu." she added to the little electric type.

"_Pika pika_." he replied consolingly.

"I'm sure you'll find something," said Ritchie "Oh, hey, I'm up."

He hurried out onto the battlefield as the others called "Good luck!" after him.

Damian was also walking out onto the battlefield.

"So did he decide on whom to use?" asked Misty.

"No idea," replied Robyn "Last I checked he was still having his doubts about his Poliwag's ability to withstand a Dragon Rage attack."

"Well if it isn't Poliwag then it'll be either Charmander or Pikachu," said Ash "There's no way he can use his Beedrill."

"_Pika pi_," said his own Pikachu by way of agreement.

The referee called out "Will both trainers please send out their chosen Pokémon?"

Damian threw out a pokéball "Charminder, let's go!"

Ritchie threw out a pokéball of his own "Charmander, I'm counting on you!"

The two fire types appeared on the battlefield.

"So he's going with Charmander," said Ash.

"Well it is the Pokémon that he started with," commented Robyn "so it's probably the strongest out of all of his Pokémon."

"I'd have thought that his Pikachu would be the best choice," said Misty "as its Thunder Wave attack would be able to paralyze Damian's Pokémon easily."

"Maybe he has a new strategy for his Charmander though," said Ash "something that he worked on especially for this battle."

Don George's voice rang out over the stadium's speaker system "And both trainers have decided to go with a Charmander. With both Pokémon being of the same type, family and evolutionary stage, this is likely to be a battle of endurance."

The coin toss appeared on the big screen and landed in Ritchie's favour.

"Both trainers ready?" asked the referee.

After receiving two nods he shouted out "Begin!"

Ritchie wasted no time before calling out "Alright, Charmander, let's see an Ember attack!"

Ritchie's Charmander grabbed its tail and waved it about, creating a cloud of fiery embers which quickly sped across the battlefield towards its opponent, where the cloud enveloped it and seared against its body.

Damian's Charmander seemed to hardly be affected.

"What a pathetic Ember attack," commented Damian with a sneer "Alright, Charminder, let's show 'em what a real Ember should look like!"

Damian's Charmander performed exactly the same movements as Ritchie's Charmander, but it managed to produce a cloud of fiery embers twice the size as that made by Ritchie's. The cloud moved faster across the battlefield as well.

It was now the turn of Ritchie's Charmander to be enveloped in a shower of embers, and unlike Damian's Charmander, it felt them.

"And that was a powerful exchange of fire, but it's clear that Damian's Charmander has the upper hand here!" commented Brock.

Damian laughed out loud and said "Your Charminder ain't even built up a decent tolerance against fire type attacks. What a weakling! I bet yours ain't even close to learnin' Flamethrower yet!"

Ritchie grit his teeth in annoyance for a moment, and then called out "Charmander, use Scratch!"

His Charmander suddenly charged across the battlefield, its hand raised ready to scratch with its claws.

Damian laughed again "That pathetic thing still knows Scratch? Charminder, give 'em a taste of Slash!"

The claws on Damian's Charmander's right hand elongated and it as the other Charmander got in close, it swiped at it, landing a nasty blow on the opponent's side.

Ritchie's Charmander was so hurt by the blow that its own attack failed to connect completely.

"And Ritchie's Charmander is being completely outclassed here," said Don George "So far Damian's Charmander has been able to best every one of its moves."

"Damian's too strong," muttered Robyn "Ritchie needs something new if he's going to have a chance."

Ash shouted out across the battlefield "Ritchie! You need a new tactic if you're going to win."

"I know that!" Ritchie shouted back. Then to himself he muttered "But I can't think of anything."

Damian was laughing really hard now "You really thought that pathetic little thing could beat my Charminder? Not a chance. Charminder, use another Slash to end this!"

Damian's Charmander raised its right arm again and the claws on the end of its hand elongated.

"Charmander, move!" shouted Ritchie.

However, his Charmander remained completely still. Instead of moving, it raised its tail high and the flame burning out of the tip roared as it grew bigger. An angry red glow then enveloped its entire body.

"What's that?" asked Ash.

"That's Rage," replied Misty "When a Pokémon uses it, it will fight only with this move until either one of them faints."

"And it looks like Ritchie's Charmander has just learned the move Rage," commented Don George "But will this be enough to change the tide of the battle?"

"Not likely," responded Damian "Charminder, use that Slash!"

His Charmander nodded and sprang towards the other, but Ritchie's Charmander was ready. It opened its mouth and bit down onto its opponent's arm, blocking the attack.

"What?" exclaimed Damian in disbelief.

"Alright!" shouted Ritchie "You show 'em Charmander!"

"That looks like it did some damage," said Misty.

"Not only that, it also blocked that Slash attack completely." added Robyn.

"Charminder, throw it off!" shouted Damian.

In response Damian's Charmander began to frantically flail about in an attempt to free its arm from its opponent's grip, but the other Charmander refused to let go.

"Hit it!" shouted Damian "Force it to let go!"

His Charmander then began to struggle in earnest, beating against the body of the other Pokémon with its free arm, its tail and both its feet, but nothing it did seemed to make the other loosen its grip even slightly.

What did happen though was the tail flame of Ritchie's Charmander seemed to grow ever bigger and hotter with every strike its opponent landed upon it.

"Why's its flame growing?" asked Ash.

"Every time a Pokémon using Rage is hit, the attack becomes more powerful," replied Misty "Ritchie's Charmander is getting a real power boost."

"But at what cost?" asked Robyn "It can't keep this up for much longer."

She was right. Charmander's Rage attack was becoming quickly more and more powerful as its opponent landed more and more hits on it, but at the same time these hits were gradually wearing down Charmander's health.

Charmander seemed to sense this, for it suddenly dug its feet into the ground. Then it swung itself around powerfully and opened its mouth to fling Damian's Charmander across the battlefield, where it crashed to the ground with a thud.

"Nice work, Charmander," said Ritchie "Now use Ember… huh?"

His Charmander did not use Ember when called upon. Instead it remained locked in its state of Rage.

"Uh-oh!" said Brock "Looks like Ritchie's just discovered the major setback to the Rage attack. Once a Pokémon begins using it, there's no stopping it until the fight ends, one way of the other."

Ritchie scowled and called "Alright then! If you can't use a different attack, then we'll just have to go for another Rage!"

Charmander cried out and charged towards its opponent.

"Charminder, use Dig!" shouted Damian.

His Charmander sprang into the air before diving towards the ground. It rapidly dug a hole and vanished from view. Ritchie's Charmander skidded to a halt right in front of the hole.

"Watch out!" shouted Ritchie, but it was too late.

The ground beneath his Charmander broke open and the other burst out of the ground, spraying dirt everywhere and landing a strong blow to Charmander in the process.

Ritchie's Charmander staggered from the powerful blow, but in its enraged state it lashed out with its tail, smacking its opponent hard about the face.

Damian's Charmander was once again thrown through the air to land with another hard thud.

As it got back to its feet, Don George commented "And it looks like this Rage attack has certainly helped to even out the odds between these two fire types."

"But neither Pokémon looks like it can keep going much longer," added Brock "It may come down to the next move."

With his Charmander locked into one particular move, Ritchie had no choice but to call for his Charmander to use its Rage attack once again.

Damian on the other hand had no such limitations, and had the perfect move to stop his raging opponent in its tracks.

"Alright, Charminder! They've had their fun. Now let's see a Dragon Rage!"

As Ritchie's Charmander charged towards Damian's, the other Pokémon opened its mouth wide, allowing a white ball of fire to appear there.

There was no way for Ritchie to stop his raging Charmander, and it charged headlong into its opponent's attack.

In the end, there was only going to be one conclusion…

The smoke from the attack cleared and the referee called out "Charmander is unable to battle. Charmander wins. The next trainer going through to the semi -final round is Damian!"

The crowd cheered loudly for the winner as a dejected Ritchie recalled his Charmander to its pokéball and returned to the others.

"You gave it your best shot, Ritchie," said Ash "and you can't expect anything more than that."

"Yeah," agreed Ritchie "Thanks Ash."

A momentary break was allowed as two of the stadium's employees headed out onto the battlefield and filled in the hole made by Damian's Charmander in preparation for the next battle.

Finally Don George's voice called out "If our final two battlers for this morning could please make their way out onto the battlefield."

"Here we go," said Robyn, stepping forwards.

The others wished her luck as she walked out onto the battlefield.

"Trainers, choose your Pokémon!" announced the referee once both trainers were in place.

Robyn threw out a pokéball and called out "Bulbasaur, battle time!"

The pokéball snapped open, allowing her starter Pokémon to appear on the battlefield.

Their opponent, Giles, threw out a ball too, though this one was a Great Ball.

"Machop, let's go!"

Machop turned out to be a strangely human-like creature, with grey skin all over and three brown ridges on the top of its head. It had large red eyes, two muscular arms, two toeless feet and a short, stubby tail.

Ritchie took out his Pokédex.

**Machop, the Superpower Pokémon. Its body is almost all muscle, and it trains in all kinds of martial arts in order to keep getting stronger. It can easily throw one hundred adult humans, and it likes to use the Seismic Toss attack.**

"Seismic Toss?" asked Ash.

"It's a move where the user throws the opponent with all the strength it can muster." explained Ritchie.

"It's a fighting type Pokémon," observed Misty "Robyn had better be careful here."

The coin toss landed in Giles's favour and the referee began the battle.

"Alright Machop, let's show them your Mega Kick!"

Machop jumped into the air and extended one of its feet, intending to kick Bulbasaur as it landed.

Robyn was more than prepared for this and called out "Bulbasaur, use Leech Seed!"

Bulbasaur bent her front legs, allowing her to aim the large bulb on her back towards the incoming Machop. Out of the small opening at the top of the bulb a seed emerged and fired towards Machop.

The seed attached itself to Machop's chest and burst open, unleashing a collection of small vine-like structures that quickly wrapped themselves around Machop. This affected Machop's stability and the fighting type fell to the ground. There a red glow appeared around Machop, causing it to cry out in pain. The glow drew away from Machop and formed a sphere shape which travelled towards Bulbasaur and disappeared into its body.

"What was that?" asked Ash.

Ritchie was already using his Pokédex to look it up and said "It says here that Leech Seed is a move that saps some of the opponent's health each turn and sends some of the health back to the user."

"So it's like a mix between Mega Drain and poisoning?" asked Ash.

"Kind of," replied Ritchie.

"It's certainly a good way to help Bulbasaur stay the distance." commented Misty.

Robyn didn't miss a beat "Now Bulbasaur, use Poison Powder!"

The bulb on Bulbasaur's back seemed to bulge slightly for a moment. Then the end burst open and a cloud of purple pollen was released as a small cloud.

"Get out of there, Machop!" shouted Giles, but there was no escaping the cloud of pollen.

"And Robyn really has set herself up well here," observed Brock "She's managed to poison her opponent and trap it with the energy sapping Leech Seed, all before her opponent could land a single move."

Giles's Machop forced itself to get to its feet, but not without the tell-tale effects of both its poisoning and Leech Seed doing their damage.

"Now Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!" Robyn called out to her Pokémon.

From beneath Bulbasaur's bulb, two long and thick vines extended outwards. They raced towards Machop, intending to strike it, but Giles had a counter move in mind.

"Machop! Grab those vines and use Seismic Toss!"

Machop reached out and grasped the two vines, one in each hand. It then used each of its muscular arms to pull the vines tight before it began to turn on the spot, dragging Bulbasaur with it.

Bulbasaur tumbled across the ground as the stronger force pulled her along, until Machop build up enough momentum for her to become airborne.

Within moments, Bulbasaur was high above everyone else, being swung around in circle after circle.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Robyn worriedly "Bulbasaur!"

"And this doesn't look good for Bulbasaur," said Don George "After a strong start, Machop has finally managed to turn one of Bulbasaur's moves against it and now has the upper hand."

"The moment Machop let's go, Bulbasaur's gonna be hurled through the air to crash who knows where." commented Brock.

"That's it!" Robyn said to herself before shouting up "Bulbasaur, make sure you hold on!"

"Let it go!" shouted Giles.

Machop's hands certainly let go, but Bulbasaur's two vines quickly wrapped themselves around Machop's wrists. Bulbasaur still went flying, but Machop was dragged along for the ride.

"And how about that!" shouted Don George excitedly "A truly remarkable turning of the tables there. Bulbasaur certainly did not escape damage, but it made sure that Machop got some of the same."

As Machop tried to get to its feet, Leech Seed and Poison Powder once again did their jobs.

Robyn pressed her advantage, shouting out "Use Tackle, Bulbasaur!"

Bulbasaur pushed herself into a standing position and then charged at Machop, ramming into the other Pokémon with full force.

Machop was thrown backwards and landed on its back. Leech Seed and Poison Powder then drained it of even more health.

"Now use Vine Whip once more!" Robyn called out.

Once again two long and thick green vines shot out from beneath the bulb on Bulbasaur's back and shot towards Machop.

"Machop, block it with Karate Chop!" shouted out Giles.

Machop swiped with one of its arms and succeeded in knocking one of the vines away. The second one, however, quickly coiled itself around one of Machop's legs and hoisted it upside down into the air. The first vine then delivered a lashing blow, followed by a second before the other vine let go and Machop crashed to a heap on the ground.

Poison Powder and Leech Seed did one final bout of damage each, and that was it for Machop.

The referee raised his flags and announced in a loud and clear voice "Machop is unable to continue battling. Bulbasaur wins. This means that the fourth and final trainer going on to the semi-final round is Robyn!"

The crowd erupted in cheers as Robyn made her way over to her Bulbasaur, picked it up and hugged it.

Her friends ran out to congratulate her as Don George announced "Well, there you have it folks! The four trainers advancing to the semi-final rounds have been decided and they are Ash, A.J, Damian and Robyn. We're gonna take a break for a while, but be sure to come back for this afternoon's exciting battles, which begin at two o'clock."

"See you then!" Brock added.

"Well done you two." said Misty to Ash and Robyn.

"Yeah, you were awesome." added Ritchie.

"Thanks," said Ash "You guys put up great fights as well."

"You're the ones in the semi-finals though." said Misty.

"That's right," said Ritchie "Robyn, do me a favour and stomp that jerk Damian into the mud, won't you?"

"I'll do my best." replied Robyn.

"Hey, if you do that and I beat A.J." said Ash "then it'll be us two who battle it out in the final."

"I've already figured that out," replied Robyn "And I know exactly what my strategy will be for beating you."

"No way," responded Ash.

"Yes way!" retorted Robyn.

"Prove it!"

"How?"

"Tell me!"

"But if I tell you then you'll know my strategy so I'll have to think up a new one!"

"You could tell me." offered Misty.

Robyn leaned in close to the older girl and whispered something into her ear that made her eyes widen.

"Oh that is good!" said Misty.

"What is?" demanded Ash "Tell me!"

"No chance!"

"Guy's how about some lunch?" suggested Ritchie.

Ash opened his mouth to argue, but his stomach chose that precise moment to give off a rather audible grumble.

"Well, I guess I am kind of hungry." he admitted sheepishly.

"Alright," said Ritchie "Last one there's a rotten Exeggcute!"

He turned and ran.

"Hey, no head starts!" shouted Ash, running off after him.

"Hold up!" shouted Robyn, running after him.

"Hey, wait for me!" shouted Misty, hurrying off in their wake.

Pikachu heaved heavy sigh and then ran off after them. He could already taste the divine food of the Gods that was tomato ketchup.

* * *

**A/N:**** So what do you think? Originally I planned for Misty to win her battle, but that was because A.J. originally used an Oddish instead of a Gloom. But an Oddish wasn't doing him enough credit, and once I let it be a Gloom, it just became inconceivable that Misty and Staryu would win given their current move set.**

**Anyway, look out for the semi-final round, coming soon!**


	14. The Club Battle Finale!

**Right then, so this is now the final part of the Club Battle Tournament mini arc. I hope that you have all enjoyed it (though I know one or two reviewers who have not.)**

**Just a little note here to once again reiterate that this story is taking place during what is known as Generation 1 of the Pokémon franchise. Therefore each Pokémon will only be using four moves each, meaning that once they have four moves, they will forget one of them in order to learn another. With those two things in mind, please realise that on occasion a Pokémon might throw out a move that as far as you are aware it cannot know. This was the case with the Raticate that Ash's Pidgeotto fought in the last chapter. I know as well as you that a Raticate cannot learn BubbleBeam now, but in Generation 1 it could thanks to what was TM11. If you see a move that doesn't seem right, please check before criticising as you might get a surprise. Bulbapedia is an excellent source for a Pokémon's Generation 1 move sets.**

**Anyway, on with the show!**

* * *

**Pokémon Indigo League**

Episode 13: The Club Battle Finale!

The seats inside the stadium were once again filling up as the audience returned from their lunch break.

The participating trainers were already standing in their viewing area. Of the sixteen who has first entered the tournament, only four now remained, Ash, Robyn, A.J. and Damian. Having been knocked out of the tournament, Misty, Ritchie and the others were relegated to the stands with everyone else.

As they waited for things to begin, Robyn turned to Ash and asked "So how are you planning on dealing with A.J.?"

Ash shook his head and replied "I don't really have a plan. All I really know is that I can't use either Pikachu or Nidoran, in case he uses his Sandshrew. Pidgeotto or Butterfree could give him a hard time, even more so if he sends in his Gloom, but I'm thinking that I might go with Mankey."

"Why?" questioned Robyn, clearly puzzled by his choice.

"Well, I haven't used it in the tournament yet, and the whole reason I came to the battle club in the first place was to help Mankey get stronger so that it could beat Brock's Pokémon."

"That makes sense, I suppose," said Robyn "but what about the tournament itself? Butterfree could get you a win out there with relative ease compared to Mankey."

"It could," agreed Ash "but getting Mankey stronger is more important right now."

"I guess so," said Robyn, though she didn't sound so sure.

"How about you?" asked Ash "What are your plans for fighting Damian?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked in reply "He's guaranteed to use his Charmander, so Bulbasaur and Butterfree are out of the running, meaning that I'm going to have to rely on Nidoran. Hopefully her Poison Sting attack will allow me to get the upper hand."

"Seems like a lot to hope for," observed Ash.

"Without a water or rock type at hand, hope is all I have," retorted Robyn.

"Will the first two trainers please step out onto the battlefield?" called out the voice of Don George.

"Here we go," said Ash, and he walked out onto the battlefield to face A.J.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the Club Battle Tournament where the first battle of the semi-final round is about to get underway," the voice of Don George announced "The two trainers who are about to battle it out for a place in the final round are Ash Ketchum and his opponent, A.J."

"Both trainers had to be tough in order to get this far," said Brock "but that just means that neither one of these trainers is going to find this battle easy."

The referee called out "Trainers chose your Pokémon."

Ash took out a pokéball and threw it with a shout of "Mankey, I choose you!"

Opposite him, A.J. took out his own pokéball and threw it out onto the battlefield "Sandshrew, battle time!"

"That Sandshrew looks like a tough opponent," observed Ritchie up in the stands "Has Ash ever battled one before?"

"He has," replied Misty "Brock's brother Forrest used one in their battle over at the Pewter Museum. Ash used his Butterfree to beat it. I wonder why he didn't choose it again here."

The coin toss gave A.J. the first move, and he wasted no time in trying to get the battle over with quickly.

"Alright Sandshrew, use Fissure!"

Sandshrew jumped up into the air and then dived towards the ground. It drove its right paw deep into the ground and a jagged line of light shot out ahead of it. From this line the battlefield literally tore apart, creating a massive fissure in the ground.

"Jump to dodge it Mankey!" shouted Ash.

As the ground at its feet began to shake, Mankey sprang straight upwards, and not a moment too soon, for the area on which he had been standing crumbled and tore apart.

"And the athletic Mankey managed to dodge that Fissure attack with ease!" commented Don George "This isn't going to be as easy a win for A.J. and his Sandshrew as they had over Lewis and his Paras in the first round."

"So you wanna drag this out, huh?" asked A.J. "Alright then, Sandshrew, use Scratch!"

Sandshrew jumped over the opening it had made in the battlefield and began to run towards Mankey, its front right paw raised, ready to strike.

"Wait for it to get in close!" shouted Ash.

Mankey braced itself, its eyes fixed on the incoming opponent, watching its every move and waiting for Ash's command.

Sandshrew was just about to land a blow when Ash called out to Mankey "Dodge it and use Low Kick!"

Mankey ducked its head to avoid Sandshrew's attack before swinging its leg out and landing a powerful kick to the knee of Sandshrew's right leg.

The ground type Pokémon stumbled and then crashed to the ground. Ash wasted no time in using this to his advantage.

"Use Karate Chop!"

Mankey began to charge at its fallen opponent, arm raised to land the blow.

Sandshrew had just managed to lift its head when Mankey struck, landing a critical hit to the back of Sandshrew's head.

The Mouse Pokémon lay there in a daze and Mankey wheeled around to face it again.

"Would you look at that?" asked Brock "A.J. and his Sandshrew started off with a show of pure power, but it was Ash and Mankey who got in the first two hits of the battle."

"That Karate Chop from Mankey certainly caught Sandshrew by surprise," added Don George "It appeared to have been left in a stupor from the blow."

Ash decided to press his advantage while he still had it "Alright Mankey, keep using Karate Chop back to back!"

Mankey charged in towards Sandshrew once more and was just readying another blow when…

"Sandshrew, use Dig to dodge!" shouted A.J.

The eyes of the ground type Pokémon snapped open and it began working its arms furiously against the surface of the battlefield. Mankey swung its arm, but Sandshrew was already below ground.

"Well that's not good," observed Ritchie as he and Misty looked on in dismay at this new development.

"Mankey, keep an eye out for where Sandshrew might be!" shouted Ash "If you see it about to come up again, jump out of the way."

Mankey readied itself, its eyes scanning every inch of the battlefield that was immediately around it, searching for any sign of Sandshrew.

Suddenly the ground at its feet loosened slightly, and Mankey felt it rather than saw it. It jumped back and just in time, for Sandshrew burst out of the ground right where Mankey had been standing.

"Now hit it with Karate Chop!" shouted Ash.

Mankey charged in once again, arm raised to land a hit.

"Use Sand Attack!" ordered A.J.

Sandshrew turned its back on Mankey and kicked backwards with both of its hind legs, sending up a cloud of sand right into Mankey's face.

The fighting type Pokémon skidded to a halt, suddenly blind.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Ash.

"And there it is!" commented Don George "Sandshrew finally lands something on Mankey."

"And with Mankey blinded by that sand, this could be the moment when A.J. turns the battle completely in his favour."

"Come on Ash," shouted Robyn from her position on the side lines "You can do this!"

"Pika pi!" shouted Pikachu, who was next to her.

"Use Dig again Sandshrew!" ordered A.J, and once more Sandshrew burrowed its way underground.

"Mankey, you may not be able to see, but try and sense where Sandshrew is, like you did before!"

Mankey braced itself, trying to sense where Sandshrew would come up.

Too late he felt the earth at his feet loosen. Sandshrew burst out of the ground, and Mankey was sent flying. He crashed to the ground and lay there in a sprawl on his back.

"Come on Mankey!" shouted Ash "Get up!"

Mankey managed to roll onto his front, but then-

"Use Fissure!"

Sandshrew drove its paw hard into the ground. The battlefield cracked and then suddenly burst open. The rupture grew outwards, and Mankey was swallowed by the chasm.

After a few moments of silence, the referee approached the fissure to look in. One of the cameramen followed him. On the large screen an image showed the inside of the fissure. Mankey was lying on a rocky ledge at least fifteen feet below, obviously out for the count.

The referee raised his flags and announced "Mankey is unable to battle, Sandshrew wins. A.J. advances to the next round."

Ash sighed, disappointed at being defeated. He approached the edge of the chasm and looked down at his fallen Pokémon. He held up its pokéball and commented "You fought well, Mankey. Now return."

A red beam of energy shot from the white button on the front of the pokéball and it quickly enveloped Mankey, shrinking him down and drawing him back inside.

Ash turned around and came face to face with A.J. who commented "Thanks for a great battle Ash. You're the first trainer in a long while who has made my Sandshrew work for the win."

"Thanks," said Ash "it was a pleasure to battle you."

And he and A.J. shook hands.

"Will you look at that?" asked Don George "There are two trainers who really do have a sense of honour and decency."

Ash returned to the side lines where Robyn greeted him with a hug "You did well Ash."

"I know." he replied "It hurts to loose, but I couldn't be prouder of Mankey."

There was a brief break in proceedings as several workers employed by the stadium went out to repair the damage done to the battlefield by all of the Fissure and Dig attacks that had taken place.

And it wasn't just people who were doing this work. Ash hadn't really paid any attention before, but this time he noticed that three Pokémon had been sent out to help with the work. One he recognised as an Onix. The other two he did not know, though he guessed that one was the evolved form of a Machop, and the other was a large boulder with four arms.

Ash took out his Pokédex to learn more.

**Machoke, the Superpower Pokémon. It is the evolved form of Machop. With enough strength to lift a giant truck with just one hand, Machoke are often used by construction workers to lift really heavy objects, such as steel girders.**

**Graveler, the Rock Pokémon. It is the evolved form of Geodude. They are often seen rolling down steep mountain trails, and prefer to roll over objects in their path rather than avoid them. Graveler are often used by workmen for demolition purposes, as well are rolling out areas of ground until they were flat.**

"Guess you don't just have to use Pokémon for battles." observed Robyn as Ash pocketed his Pokédex.

The workforce finished up and left the battlefield, prompting Don George to call out over the speaker system "Will the next two trainers please step out onto the battlefield?"

"That's me," said Robyn, stepping forwards.

"Good luck," Ash called after her.

As predicted Damian sent out his Charmander, leaving Robyn with no option other than to go for her Nidoran. The coin toss landed in Damian's favour and the battle began.

"Alright Charminder, use Dragon Rage!"

The flame on the tip of Charmander's tail burned bright as a ball of white fire formed in its mouth.

"Dodge it Nidoran!" Robyn called out to her Pokémon.

Nidoran bounded to the side as Charmander unleashed its attack.

The Poison Pin Pokémon successfully evaded the attack and turned to face Charmander once again.

"Alright Nidoran, use Poison Sting!"

Nidoran turned her back to her opponent and then reared up onto her hind legs. On her back there were two sharp looking spikes, both of which took on a nasty purple glow. From the two spikes a shower of small purple needles were suddenly released.

The needles struck Charmander right in the stomach.

"And it's a direct hit for Robyn and her Nidoran" yelled Don George excitedly.

"Not only that," added Brock "but I think… yes, it looks like Charmander has been left poisoned by the attack as well."

He was right. Charmander emitted a cry of pain as a crackle of purple energy shot across its body. The fire type Pokémon slumped slightly, breathing heavily.

"Way to go Nidoran! Now use Tackle!" shouted Robyn.

Nidoran bounded forwards, intending to ram into Charmander.

Damian was ready for this and called out "Charminder, use Ember!"

Charmander grabbed its tail and waved it about, creating a cloud of fiery embers which quickly sped across the battlefield towards its opponent. Unable to stop, Nidoran ended up running right into the cloud and was enveloped by it, the burning embers searing against her body.

A crackle of purple energy cracked across Charmander's body once again as the poison effect took it toll.

"Shake it off Nidoran!" shouted Robyn as Damian called out for a Dig attack.

Nidoran shook her body, and the flapping of her large ears put out most of the remaining embers.

Charmander had disappeared from the battlefield however, leaving nothing but a gaping hole in the spot where it had been standing.

Suddenly the ground beneath Nidoran broke apart and Charmander burst out of the opening, landing a powerful blow that sent Nidoran tumbling across the battlefield.

Charmander felt the effects of its poisoning once more, but Damian ignored it in favour of calling out "Let's see a Dragon Rage!"

Once again Charmander opened its mouth and a ball of white flame began to grow there.

"And this could be the end for Nidoran," said Don George.

Nidoran tried to struggle to her feet, but it was to no avail.

"Come on Nidoran!" shouted Robyn "Do something! Anything!"

And miraculously, Nidoran did do something.

A bright white glow began to emanate from her body. The glow grew in intensity, causing Damian's Charmander to stop preparing its attack in order to shield its eyes. The watching audience could just make out Nidoran, and saw her body grow and change shape.

"Is that?" asked Ritchie up in the stands.

"It's evolving!" exclaimed Misty.

The horn on her head vanished, as did her whiskers, but the spikes on her back grew longer, and she developed two more, as well as a long and muscular looking tail.

The glow faded and the watching audience got their first look at this newly evolved Pokémon.

"Well how about that folk?" said Don George "Robyn's Nidoran has evolved into a Nidorina right before our very eyes!"

Robyn took out her Pokédex in order to find out more about her new Pokémon.

**Nidorina, the Poison Pin Pokémon. It is the evolved form of the female Nidoran. It is generally docile, with a calm and caring nature. However, when in battle it prefers to use physical attacks such as clawing and biting. When threatened, it raises the barbs on its body, which are poisonous.**

"That's great that you evolved Nidoran, I mean Nidorina!" exclaimed Robyn as she stowed away her Pokédex "Now let's give them what for!"

Nidorina reared up onto her hind legs and cried out.

Damian wasn't fazed in the least "So it's evolved, big whoop! My Charminder will still beat it. Charminder, use Dragon Rage!"

Once again Charmander opened its mouth and spat out a large ball of white fire.

"Dodge it and use Take Down!" shouted Robyn.

Nidorina sprang to the side, out of harm's way, and then charged in towards its fire type opponent.

Undaunted by the fact that Dragon Rage had missed, Damian called out "Use Dig, Charminder!"

Charmander threw itself to the ground and burrowed its way under. Nidorina came to a stop in front of the hole.

"Use your ears to listen for Charmander!" ordered Robyn "Then jump out of the way!"

Nidorina braced herself, ready to move at a moment's notice. Then her ears twitched and she sprang into the air a split second before Charmander broke through.

"Now use Double Kick!" shouted Robyn.

Nidorina twisted her body in mid-air and aimed her back legs towards Charmander, who went to move away, but the effects of its poisoning wracked through its body, causing it to flinch. Nidorina successfully landed first one kick and then another and Charmander teetered backwards.

"And this surprising evolution really seems to have turned the tide of battle," commented Don George "Could this be the end for Charmander?"

"It will be now," said Robyn confidently "Nidorina, use Take Down!"

Nidorina charged at Charmander and rammed her body into his, sending the fire type tumbling across the battlefield.

"We ain't beat yet!" said Damian hotly "Charminder, get up and use Ember!"

Charmander pushed itself up onto its back legs and cried out defiantly before grabbing a hold of its tail.

"Oh no you don't!" exclaimed Robyn "Nidorina, Poison Sting!"

Nidorina turned her back on Charmander and reared up on her hind legs. The spikes on her back took of a purple glow and a flurry of purple coloured darts shot towards Charmander, who was waving its tail about in order to create a cloud of Embers.

Fire met poison and the two attacks produced a burst of heat followed by a lot of smoke, which filled the air between the two Pokémon.

"Hit it with Slash!" shouted Damian.

Nidorina was watching warily for her opponent, but Charmander suddenly burst through the smoke without warning and there was no time to react.

Charmander's Slash attack raked across Nidorina's flank, doing a heavy amount of damage.

Surprised and hurt, Nidorina slumped to her side, even as Robyn called out to her. The trainer's plea for her to get up was heard by the Pokémon, but she did not have the strength left. She had taken too much damage before evolving.

And through the haze Damian's voice came through, ordering "Dragon Rage!"

For Nidorina there was no avoiding the attack this time. The ball of white fire formed within Charmander's open maw and was spewed forth. Nidorina was enveloped, and there was a flash of light, a boom and then a cloud of smoke.

And air cleared and Nidorina was left there, lying on her side, mouth open, legs sprawled and eyes dazed.

The referee raised his flag "Nidorina is unable to battle. Charmander wins. Therefore the trainer going on to the final round is Damian!"

The audience roared its approval as Robyn sank to her knees in dismay.

"Well it seems that even evolving mid battle wasn't enough to allow Robyn and her Nidorina to overcome Damian and his Charmander," said Brock.

"Wow," muttered Ash "She lost, after all that…"

"Pika pika." said Pikachu, sadly.

"Well that's it for today, folks!" said Don George "Our final two trainers will have this evening to rest their Pokémon and prepare their strategies for the final round, which will take place tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. Be sure to join us then!"

* * *

"Robyn, your Nidorina is all healed and ready to go," said Nurse Joy, placing the pokéball onto the desk top "Ash, your Mankey is good to go as well."

"Thanks!" said Ash appreciatively as he took back Mankey's pokéball.

Robyn took hers back without a word. Her expression was a glum one, and it had been ever since she had exited the battlefield earlier.

"Cheer up Robyn," said Misty, coming up behind them "Don't let it get you down."

"I was so sure I was going to win after Nidoran evolved…" said Robyn "It was like… I dunno, it was like I could feel it in my bones or something. I was so sure…"

"It happens," said Ritchie "Evolving just doesn't guarantee a win, especially against an opponent who had been training for a lot longer than you have."

"I guess so," replied Robyn.

"Don't think of it being that you lost," said Ash "Think positive. That's what I'm doing. I lost, but I know that Mankey's a lot stronger than it used to be. I might even have a decent chance of winning at the Pewter Gym when I challenge it again."

Robyn nodded and said "Well, Nidoran evolved into Nidorina, and learned Take Down and Double Kick, so I suppose that's something to be happy about."

"Exactly," said Misty with a kind smile.

"Yeah," said Ash "and if that doesn't work, just remember that you got further then either of these two did."

He jerked his thumb towards Ritchie, who grumbled good-naturedly, and Misty, who glared dangerously at Ash and hit him in the back of the head, getting a small laugh out of Robyn.

The group headed out from the Pokémon centre and returned to the battle club.

They let out their Pokémon and Ash said "Well, guys, we've had a tough few days of training, so how about we all take it easy for this evening?"

Everyone agreed and spread out. Treadmills were set to walking speed rather than running, those who went into the pool stayed close to the side and floated, and those who flew took a lazy glide about, rather than use the agility course. No one went near the weights or the target practice machines.

Ash was just setting Pikachu up on a treadmill when Robyn came over and whispered "Hey Ash, look!"

He turned around to see his Nidoran and Robyn's Nidorina standing nearby. Nidoran clearly didn't know what to make of this change in the other Pokémon.

"Looks like someone's a little confused." said Robyn.

"I guess it's not often that your friend turns up twice the height and three times the weight she was before," said Ash.

"He'll probably evolve soon as well," said Robyn "He'll want to catch her up."

"It'd be great if he did," replied Ash "Then nothing will stop me from getting my Pewter Gym Badge."

Robyn shook her head and said "Come on, let's head over to the canteen. I could use some food."

They gathered the other two and then headed over to the canteen, where several other trainers were also congregated.

"Oh, man, I'm starving," said Ash "I wonder what they got to eat?"

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll eat it," commented Misty.

"Hey Ash!" called out a voice "I've been looking for you everywhere."

The group turned and saw the Pewter City Gym Leader coming towards them.

"Hey, Brock," said Ash with a grin.

"That was a great battle you had out there today," said Brock "Really impressive."

"Thanks," said Ash "A.J. was a really strong opponent, so I don't feel too bad about losing."

"That's the spirit," replied Brock "I think you're just about ready to come to the gym for a rematch. What do you say to coming over tomorrow afternoon once the final round of the tournament takes place?"

"Sounds great," said Ash "I'm sure to win this time."

A derisive snort came from someone nearby. The group turned again and saw that it was Damian.

"What?" demanded Ash.

"Nothing," said Damian "just that, based on the performance you put on today, no self-respecting gym leader would ever give you a badge."

"Oh yeah?" demanded Ash, taking a step forward with his teeth clenched and his hands balled up into fists at his side.

Misty placed a restraining hand on his shoulder "Cool it, Ash."

Brock stepped forwards "Don't go around poking fun at other trainers Damian, just because it took you five attempts to beat me when you started out."

Ash perked up at that and asked "Did he really take five attempts to beat you?"

"He did," said Brock, before turning to address the arrogant teen once again "I'm interested, Damian, to know how many badges you have won since our battle? Is it still only three?"

"That none of your business," retorted Damian, before storming out.

"He has three gym badges?" asked Robyn.

"Yes, and it's taken him years to get that many," replied Brock "Most people can get eight in one year to eighteen months."

"Why has he taken so long then?" asked Ash "He seems pretty strong."

"Even if a trainer defeats a Gym Leader in battle, that Gym Leader can still choose to not award a badge. Three times be battled me and lost the fight. One his fourth attempt he won the battle, but his behaviour to his Pokémon was disgusting so I refused. He didn't come back for two months. When he did turn up to challenge me again, I thought he had changed, so awarded him a badge after he beat me again. It quickly turned out to have been an act."

"If he's so awful to his Pokémon then why is he still allowed them?" asked Ritchie.

"There's a difference between being pushy and hurtful towards your Pokémon and being cruel and negligent," replied Brock "Damian is the former. He pushes his Pokémon really hard and isn't nice to them, but that's not enough. They are kept clean and fed, and he doesn't kick them around, so there is no cause to take his Pokémon from him. There are those out there who know to keep an eye on him though, the Gym Leaders and the staff of the Battle Clubs and Pokémon Centres in particular."

"Well, I hope he loses tomorrow," said Misty "It might teach him some humility."

"Maybe," said Brock "But somehow, I doubt it. Trainers like that need more than a simple loss to get them to come around."

Ash sighed. He wished he could be the one to teach Damian a lesson.

* * *

The following morning found Ash, Misty, Robyn and Ritchie all seated with the rest of the audience as A.J. and Damian battled it out.

Both trainers had gone for their usual Pokémon, Sandshrew for A.J. and Charmander for Damian.

The battle had been raging to half an hour now, and though both Pokémon were getting tired, neither trainer was prepared to give an inch here.

"Alright, Charminder, give 'em a taste of Dragon Rage!"

Charmander opened its mouth a spat a ball of white fire at Sandshrew.

"Sandshrew use Dig to dodge it!"

Sandshrew threw itself to the ground and vanished from sight. The Dragon Rage attack hit the hole in the ground and there was an explosion. Then the ground beneath Charmander's feet broke apart and Sandshrew burst from the ground, landing a super-effective blow to the fire type.

"Charminder, use Ember!"

"Use Sand Attack, Sandshrew!"

Charmander grabbed its tail and waved it about as Sandshrew spun around and kicked backwards.

A cloud of fiery embers and a cloud of sand filled the air. The embers heated the sand and the air on the battlefield became chocked with it, harming both Pokémon at the same time.

"Sandshrew, fight through it and use Slash!" ordered A.J.

The ground type Pokémon shook off the attack and bounded towards Charmander, its right paw raised and its claws elongated.

"Charminder, you use your Slash attack too!" ordered Damian.

Charmander charged through the burning air towards the incoming Sandshrew.

The two Pokémon met and swung paws as they passed each other. Both stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Get up Charminder!"

"Sandshrew, on your feet, come on!"

Charmander struggled to push itself up on its arms, and then managed to stand up, it's back to its opponent. Behind it, Sandshrew managed to do the same.

Silence hung in the stadium, during which the heat in the air dissipated.

Then Charmander fell.

"Charmander is unable to battle," announced the referee as he raised his flags "Sandshrew wins. Therefore the winner of this battle and of the Club Battle Tournament is A.J."

The crowd went wild, filling the air with thunderous applause. Ash, Misty, Robyn and Ritchie were no exception to this. Ash and Misty both may have lost to A.J. in the tournament, but both were eager to celebrate the defeat of Damian.

"And that's it folks!" cried the voice of Don George "The tournament is over, and our winner is A.J. who I think we can all agree put on an impressive performance throughout!"

In a show of bad sportsmanship, Damian recalled his Charmander and then stormed out of the stadium without congratulating his opponent.

"What a jerk," Ash commented as Don George asked "Could all of the trainers who participated please come down onto the battlefield for the presentation of the prize to the winner?"

Ash, Misty, Robyn and Ritchie all made their way down to battlefield, there to be joined by the others who had competed; Travis, Giles, Warren, Calvin, Marty, Lewis, Rita, Clark, Becky and Molly.

That they were one shot was not commented on.

A.J. was awarded his prize of a basket of essential items for trainers, which contained five Great Balls, six Revives, ten Full Heals and ten Super Potions.

"Let's hear it one more time for our winner, A.J." said Don George.

The audience cheered.

"And for out other contestants," said Brock "they all fought very well, didn't they?"

Again the noise in the stadium rose.

"Thank you all for attending the Pewter City Club Battle Tournament. I have been your host Don George,"

"And I've been his co-host Brock Harrison" added Brock.

"And all is left to do is wish you all a peaceful afternoon and say look out for our next tournament!"

* * *

"Ash, will you slow down?" shouted Misty as she and the other two ran after Ash and Pikachu through the streets of Pewter City "The Gym isn't going anywhere you know?"

Ash slowed to a stop and grinned sheepishly "Sorry. I'm just so psyched! I'm gonna get my first gym badge, I just know it."

"Alright," said Misty "Just go slower. Brock knows to expect you."

Suddenly the whole city seemed to shake as the sound of a massive boom filled the air.

"What was that?" asked Robyn, her head down and her hands over her ears.

"Look over there!" shouted Ritchie, pointing upwards.

They looked and saw a column of smoke rising into the sky.

"Isn't the Science Museum in that direction?" asked Misty.

"It is," said Ash "And look there!"

They turned to where he was pointing, and there was a hot air balloon in the shape of a Meowth's head drifting away from the museum. It was a sight that both Ash and Misty recognised.

Team Rocket had made their move.

* * *

**A/N: So what do you think? No, neither Ash nor Robyn won the tournament, but I think that it would have been a mistake to allow them to at this time, especially when you consider who their opponents were. Both got some good experience though, and Ash in particular was in need of that. That's all we're going to be seeing of either Damian or A.J. for a bit, but both are planned to appear again (I think you can all guess why Damian will appear!)**

**On another note, I would like to take a quick moment here to apologise. I am well aware that it has been more than a month since my last update for this story. The only thing I can say is that my Harry Potter stories (which is my primary fandom) have been taking up my time, and I've been a but disillusioned with Pokémon as of late. There haven't been any really good episodes of late, so I've been lacking in inspiration. Also I've been a bit disappointed with some of the new Pokémon being revealed. If you haven't seen them yet, all I can say is that some are okay, like the starters (Chespin, Fennikin and Froakie) and Pancham and Gogoat. Talonflame also looks cool but had a crap name (you can probably guess its typing from the name alone!) but some of the others! Seriously, put Swirlix into Google Images and look at what comes up. It's meant to be a cotton candy Pokémon, but I think it was designed by someone who was meant to come up with ten designs in a week and he only had nine by ten-to-five on a Friday. All I can say is that its evolution had better be fantastic in order to make up for it.**


End file.
